Problematic Internet Usage Scale (PIUS)

Brief Description:
• Ceyhan, Ceyhan, & Gurcan (2007)
• Three factor measure: Negative consequences of the Internet, Social benefit/social comfort, and Excessive use

Versions:
• English
• Turkish

Type of Measure:
• Self-completed
• Thirty-three items (originally 59): Negative consequences of the Internet = 17 items, Social benefit/social comfort = 10 items, Excessive use = 6 items

Target Population:
• Adult

Scoring:
• Minimum = 33; maximum = 165
• Scored on a vertical scale assuming that the higher you score, the more pathological your Internet usage is

Psychometrics:
Source reference: Ceyhan, Ceyhan, & Gurcan (2007): 1658 University students in Turkey.
• Reliability: Cronbach’s alpha = 0.94
• Validity: Significant correlation with the Turkish version of the Online Cognition Scale (r = 0.61)
• Three factor model: Negative consequences of the Internet, Social benefit/social comfort, and Excessive use

Utility for Prevalence Surveys:
• Fair

Research Applicability:
• Potentially good but untested
• Other scales are more widely used

Copyright, Cost, and Source Issues:
• Not available

Source References:
Ceyhan, E., Cyhan, A. A., & Gurcan, A. (2007). The validity and reliability of the Problematic Internet Usage Scale. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 7(1), 411-416.

Strengths:
• Correlates significantly with the Online Cognitions Scale (both the English and Turkish versions)

Weaknesses:
• Does not diagnose Internet addiction, but does indicate a healthy to unhealthy level of Internet usage