Internet Gaming Disorder Scale – Short Form (IGDS9-SF)

About the IGDS9-SF

Developed by Pontes and Griffiths (2015), the IGDS9-SF is grounded in the DSM-5-TR’s proposed criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder. It captures psychological dependence, loss of control, preoccupation, withdrawal, and negative consequences of excessive gaming. Each item corresponds to one of the nine DSM-5-TR criteria for IGD.

The IGDS9-SF has been validated internationally and is suitable for use in both clinical and research contexts, including adolescent and adult populations.

Psychometric Properties

The IGDS9-SF has demonstrated strong psychometric validity, including:

• Internal consistency: Cronbach’s α = 0.88–0.91
• Unidimensional factor structure
• Correlates strongly with depression, anxiety, and time spent gaming

It is considered one of the most robust brief IGD screeners available across multiple languages and cultural groups.

Sources: Pontes & Griffiths, 2015; Pontes et al., 2021

The Scale

The IGDS9-SF includes 9 items, each rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (Never) to 5 (Very often), reflecting behaviors over the past 12 months.

Example item: “Have you continued your gaming activity despite knowing it was causing problems between you and other people?”

Total scores range from 9 to 45, with higher scores indicating greater IGD symptom severity.

Score Range

There is no universally agreed cutoff, but suggested ranges include:

• 9–20: Low or no risk
• 21–35: Moderate risk; monitor closely
• 36–45: High risk; further assessment recommended

A clinical diagnosis of IGD should be made by a trained professional and requires meeting five or more criteria with associated distress or impairment.

References