Assessing maladaptive cognitions related to online gaming: Proposing an adaptation of online cognitions scale

Abstract

In light of the recent research indicating differences between Internet addiction and online gaming addiction, in this study, we propose an adaptation of Online Cognitions Scale (OCS) developed by Davis, Flett, and Besser (2002), with the purpose of assessing maladaptive cognitions specifically related to online gaming. The aim was to determine the psychometric properties of the modified version of OCS. Unlike other instruments measuring online gaming addiction, the focus of this scale is the cognitive aspect of online gaming, instead of the behavioural one. We administered the modified scale to adolescent and young adult online game players from Serbia (N = 254). In order to determine the concurrent validity, we administered a previously established measure of online gaming addiction and a measure of a wide range of psychopathological symptoms. The modified scale was shown to be highly reliable. Exploratory factor analysis yielded six factors, unlike the original four factor structure, which were labelled as Diminished Impulse Control, Distraction, Immersion/Escapism, Social Comfort, General Sense of Comfort, and Online Games Appreciation. As expected, the modified OCS correlated highly with the measures of online gaming addiction and psychopathology. The findings suggest potential applicability of this instrument in domains of research, clinical assessment, therapy and treatment evaluation.