Peer-Reviewed Study

Validation of the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10) Based on the Clinical Diagnosis of IGD in Japan

Jan 2022 🇯🇵 Journal of Behavioral Addictions PEER-REVIEWED

This 2022 Journal of Behavioral Addictions paper, co-authored by Susumu Higuchi, validates a Japanese translation of the ten-item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10) against clinical diagnoses at Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center. Testing 244 gamers, the researchers compared the instrument's original scoring method with a modified version that counted 'sometimes' or 'often' responses as a positive sign. The modified scoring identified people with a clinical diagnosis of internet gaming disorder more accurately than the original method, though it also flagged a notably larger share of the sample as at-risk. The authors call for testing the revised approach in other countries and gaming cultures before wider adoption. TechKids Foundation includes this entry as evidence that screening-tool design choices meaningfully affect how many young gamers are flagged as at risk, underscoring the need for carefully validated instruments rather than informal checklists.

87.5% sensitivity, 85.2% specificity with modified scoring

Using a cutoff of 5 or more on the modified scoring method, the Japanese IGDT-10 identified clinically diagnosed cases with 87.5% sensitivity and 85.2% specificity (Youden's index 72.7%).

Probable-IGD rate of 1.8% vs. 11.3% depending on scoring method

The share of the sample flagged as having probable internet gaming disorder was 1.8% under the original scoring method versus 11.3% under the modified method — the same underlying data, two different risk estimates.

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CITATION

Mihara, Satoko, Yoneatsu Osaki, Aya Kinjo, Takanobu Matsuzaki, Hideki Nakayama, Takashi Kitayuguchi, Takayuki Harada, and Susumu Higuchi. "Validation of the Ten-Item Internet Gaming Disorder Test (IGDT-10) Based on the Clinical Diagnosis of IGD in Japan." Journal of Behavioral Addictions 11, no. 4 (2022): 1024–1034. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2022.00070

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