Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Multidimensional Smartphone Use Scale

The Multidimensional Smartphone Use Scale (MSUS) measures four dimensions of smartphone-related problems: nomophobia, ringxiety, textiety, and phubbing. While the MSUS has advantages over other measures of problematic smartphone use, it is not available in Chinese. This preregistered study developed and validated the Chinese version of the MSUS. A total of 415 Hong Kong Chinese undergraduates (70.1% female) aged from 18 to 25 years (M = 20.60, SD = 1.60) completed an online questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) indicated that the original bi-factor model with a general factor and four specific factors was superior to other alternative (one-factor, four-factor, and second-order) models. Multiple-group CFAs supported the gender invariance of the bi-factor structure. The overall scale and the subscales showed adequate internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity with another Chinese measure of smartphone addiction. These findings provide evidence that the Chinese version of the MSUS is a psychometrically sound instrument for Hong Kong Chinese.