What is the Chen Internet Addiction Scale?
The Internet has everything , a recipe for your favorite dish, a map to your favorite place, an
answer to all your crazy doubts; it almost has everything you want to know and others want to know about you
too.
Yes!! You want it or not, it tracks every move of yours, where you go, whom you are with, or what you are up to.
Everything is a click away. But we have to accept, it has reduced our efforts by at least 50%
in
whatever work we do. So, when you are still in the mystical world of the internet and expecting what the
internet
will surprise you the next, it is silently affecting a major part of our life.
Internet addiction is a behavioral addiction in which a person becomes dependent on
the use of the Internet , or other online devices, as a maladaptive way of coping with life's
stresses. Like
any other addiction, Internet addiction is also a crucial factor that affects one’s mental health and remains a
cause for many mental disorders like stress, anxiety, depression., etc.
There are various psychometric tools to assess internet addiction in individuals; one is the Chen
Internet Addiction Scale . Previously, Young’s Internet Addiction Test(IAT) is used widely for
diagnosing
problematic internet use. In 2003, the Chen Internet Addiction Scale(CIAS) was developed by Chenm Weng, Su, Wu
&
Yang. The CIAS gained more popularity since it is proven to be a reliable instrument for diagnosing internet
addiction in Taiwan & Mainland China.
Things you should know about Internet Addiction
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders manual (DSM-5) has recognized
Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a diagnosable mental illness but has not recognized Internet Addiction
Disorder.
Though researchers worldwide keep arguing that fact, it is still considered a threat to our mental
health.
Though excessive internet usage is the main symptom of internet addiction, exactly how much is
too much time is not determined by studies till now. So the other major symptoms of Internet Addiction
Disorder are,
Sudden mood changes,
Worrying about what is happening on the internet when you are
not using,
Not able to control your no. of hours spent online,
Continued
usage of the internet, despite knowing it as the reason for relationships with your loved ones.
Properties of the Chen Internet Addiction Scale
The CIAS is a four-point, 26-item self-reported scale assessing five dimensions of
Internet-related symptoms and problems, including compulsive use, withdrawal, tolerance, and problems in
interpersonal relationships and health/time management.
This instrument's main aim is to get the problems faced by an individual due to excessive internet usage. The
26 items of the tool are measured against 4 standard responses, “Does not match my experience at all,”
“Probably does not match my experience,” “Probably matches my experience,” “Matches my
experience.”
How to score a Chen Internet Addiction Scale?
Each response is given a score of 1 (Does not match my experience at all) to 4 (Matches my experience). All the
individual score of every item is noted and added together to give the overall score of CIAS. The total
score
of CIAS ranges from 26-104 .
Interpretation of the Chen Internet Addiction Scale score
Higher the scores, the higher the chance for internet addiction. Higher scores indicate a more severe level of
Internet addiction. Respondents with scores of 64 and above were classified
as Internet-addicted .
Conclusion
Watching someone close to you affected by addiction or seeing your mental peace or health dimming in front of
your eyes due to addiction is difficult. 4.66 billion people use the internet globally, and it is increasing at
a
rate of 7% yearly. Maybe you are not an internet addict today, but someone close to you or some younger
generation
of your family may become an addict tomorrow, so be aware of what we are going through. Take an Internet
addiction
scale, find your balance of inner harmony and peace to a healthy mind & body.
