Reliability and construct validity of the smartphone addiction scale short version (SAS-SV) in Iranian students

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the construct validity and reliability of the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) among male and female Iranian student populations. Methods: The study used a prospective study design protocol. From January 2019 to April 2019, 388 participants (193 boys and 195 girls, aged 12 to 16 years old) volunteered to complete a SAS-SV questionnaire and sociodemographic-related questions. Factor analysis, t-tests, ANOVA (mean comparison), and correlation analysis were conducted to verify SAS reliability and validity. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed using LISREL 8, and data analysis was completed using SPSS (version 24). Statistical significance was established at p < 0.05. Results: For content validity, ten final questions were selected. The internal consistency and concurrent validity of the SAS was verified with a Cronbach’s alpha score of 0.85, of which the SAS-SV scores revealed a statistically significant difference (p = 0.001), demonstrating a score of 37.1 in those individuals addicted to smartphones. Moreover, the ROC analysis results showed an area under a curve (AUC) value. The values for the boys were AUC = 0.974 0.899–1.000, cut-off = 34, sensitivity = 0.882, and specificity = 0.910. Values for the girls were AUC = 0.957 0.897–1.000, cut-off = 37, sensitivity = 0.893, and specificity = 0.893. Conclusions: The SAS-SV showed good reliability and validity to assess smartphone addiction. In addition, the SAS-SV can be used to clinically examine and assess Iranian students with identified smartphone addiction issues.