Relationship between Gaming and other game related activities: Italian validation of the Screening Test for Problematic Gaming (STPG)

Abstract: Introduction Gaming is a common leisure activity among adolescents which may have risky implications. The aim of the present study is to validate the Italian version of a short screening instrument, the Screening Test for Problematic Gaming (STPG), which is composed of three items and it is able to distinguish between problematic and non-problematic gamers in a non-clinical population. Methods Data were collected through the ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) questionnaire. It is a cross-sectional school survey that investigates risky behaviours in a representative sample of Italian high-school students (N = 12,237; 50.8% girls) aged between 15 and 19 years (mean = 17.02 years). Results After the STPG was translated and adapted for Italian use, Principal Component Analysis and Multiple Correspondence Analysis were performed to investigate psychometric properties of STPG and calculate the optimal scaling for each item. Cronbach's alpha was good (0.769). Finally, confirmatory factor analysis using Structural Equation Modelling was performed, showing a correlation between STPG score and time/money spent gaming (? = 0.467 and ? = 0.238, respectively), places where students played (? = 0.142) and gaming apparatus (? = 0.165). Conclusions The STPG could be a short and useful instrument for school surveys, to detect problematic gaming among adolescents early on.