Internet Gaming Disorder and impulsivity in undergraduate students at a public university: psychometric evidence (IGD-20, BIS-15) and their association
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24016/2026.v12.556Keywords:
Internet Gaming Disorder, impulsivity, psychometrics, university students, IGD-20, BIS-15Abstract
Background: Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) is one of the behavioral addictions of greatest clinical interest, and impulsivity has been identified as one of its main dispositional correlates. However, evidence in Latin American university populations and the psychometric properties of Spanish-language instruments remain scarce.
Objective: To determine the relationship between IGD and impulsivity, and to provide validity and reliability evidence for the IGD-20 and BIS-15 in university students from Metropolitan Lima.
Method: Instrumental and correlational cross-sectional study. A total of 225 undergraduate students participated (51% men; 49% women; M = 20.45; SD = 1.02) from one public university. The IGD-20 and BIS-15 were administered. Internal structure was examined through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with WLSMV estimation, reliability through internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), and associations through Spearman's rho, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and effect sizes (Cohen's d, eta squared).
Results: The six-factor IGD-20 model showed good fit, (χ²(164) = 390.5, p < .001; CFI = .976; TLI = .972; RMSEA = .079; SRMR = .046); the three-factor BIS-15 model showed adequate fit after removing two items, (χ²(62) = 145.23, p < .001; CFI = .933; TLI = .916; RMSEA = .077; SRMR = .076). Reliability was acceptable (IGD-20: α = .61–.85; BIS-15: α = .70–.76). A positive, significant association was found between IGD and total impulsivity (rs = .34, p < .001), of small-to-moderate magnitude. Sex, gaming hours, and game-genre differences emerged for IGD, but not for impulsivity by sex.
Conclusions: The IGD-20 and BIS-15 show adequate psychometric evidence; impulsivity is positively associated with IGD, supporting its role as a dispositional vulnerability factor, with implications for prevention in university settings.
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