Development and Validation of a Screen Fatigue Scale

Abstract

Due to rapid development in information and communication technologies (ICT), daily life has been digitized with increasing momentum, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this situation more than ever. Depending on these developments and the excessive use of ICT, many new concepts have emerged, including screen fatigue. To this respect, this study aims to develop a scale that determines screen fatigue among adolescents caused by excessive screen use and test the scale’s psychometric properties. The research was conducted with an exploratory sequential, mixed-method research design. In the study’s first phase, qualitative data were obtained through a literature review and focus group interviews to develop an initial item pool. Based on the qualitative data analysis, a 56-item item pool was formed. In the quantitative phase, the item pool was administered to 365 students for the exploratory factor analyses (EFA). After determining the dimensions of the scale through EFA, it was administered to 417 students for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Quantitative data demonstrated that the scale has satisfactorily reliable and valid. A final scale was obtained, including 24 items and four factors named behavioral, physical, affective, and cognitive symptoms of screen fatigue.