Measures

The IDS-15 is a psychometric tool, which assesses the severity of IA among individuals, based on APA framework for IGD proposed in the DSM-5 [24]. The items refer to users’ online leisure activity, excluding internet use for work or school, from any device with internet access in the past 12 months. The IDS-15 contains 15 items comprising four IA-related domains: Escapism and Dysfunctional Emotional Coping (EDEC), Withdrawal Symptoms (WS), Impairments and Dysfunctional Self-Regulation (IDSR), and Dysfunctional Internet-related Self-Control (DISC). Participants rate items using a five-point Likert Scale, from 1 (“Strongly disagree”) to 5 (“Strongly agree”). Total scores range from 15 to 75, with higher scores indicating higher severity or higher risk of IA. The psychometric properties of the Slovenian IDS-15 are reported in the Results section.

The Internet Gaming Disorder Scale (IGDS9-SF) [29], a nine-item screening tool, was used to assess the severity of IGD and its harmful effects by examining online and offline gaming over the past 12 months. The items (e.g., “Do you systematically fail when trying to control or cease your gaming activity?”) are answered using a five-point Likert scale from 1 (“Never”) to 5 (“Very often”). Total scores range from 9 to 45, with higher scores indicating higher severity of IGD [30, 31]. The IGDS9-SF is an established cross-culturally validated measure to assess IGD [30, 31]. The Slovenian version was adapted and validated by Pontes et al. [32] in a study on IGD among Slovenian youth. Cronbach’s α of the Slovenian IGDS9-SF in the present study was .89.

The Berlin Inventory of Gambling Behavior–Screening (BIG-S) [33], a reliable and valid screening tool, was used to assess gambling addiction. The inventory consists of 14 questions, which represent an operationalisation of the ten DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorder. The items (e.g., “Have you repeatedly spent more time or money on gambling than originally intended?”) are answered in a dichotomous format (yes/no) and refer to gambling-related behaviour throughout the lifespan. Total score ranges from 0 to 10, with a score of 5 and above being indicative of gambling disorder. The Slovenian BIG-S was adapted according to the same protocol as the IDS-15 (see ‘Adaptation of the Slovenian IDS-15’). Cronbach’s α of the Slovenian BIG-S was .81.

Additionally, participants were asked about the frequency of their alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use. Lastly, key demographic characteristics were also reported, such as gender, age, level of education, employment status, region, and monthly income.