Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the validity, reproducibility, and reliability of the Brazilian version of the smartphone addiction scale in children. METHODS: The sample included 194 children (105 girls), aged 8-10 years, enrolled in the public school system of the city of Curitiba (PR). A self-reported questionnaire assessed sociodemographic data (sex, age, type of housing, type of residence, number of siblings, and father's and mother's education). The ABEP (Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa) questionnaire assessed economic class, and the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version assessed problematic smartphone use (PSU). Factor analysis was performed to analyze the validity of the PSU scale; the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the reproducibility of the instrument; and reliability was measured by internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha (α). All analyses were performed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 21.0 software, adopting a significance level of p<0.05. RESULTS: Factor analysis resulted in three factors that explained 50.2% of the total variance. The ICC ranged from 0.34 to 0.81, with a value of 0.85 as the overall score. Cronbach's α ranged from 0.35 to 0.81, with an overall score of 0.87. CONCLUSIONS: The scale showed adequate factorial validity and acceptable consistency and reproducibility. The use of this scale is recommended in studies conducted with children aged 8-10 years.