A multidimensional measure of social networking addiction: Psychometric properties of AdiTec-I scores in Spanish-speaking adolescents and young adults.

Social networking addiction (SNA) is not formally recognized as a disorder in current diagnostic systems, although research has mainly approached it from an addiction-based perspective. Most available instruments provide predominantly unidimensional scores, which may limit the characterization of symptom heterogeneity. The AdiTec-I was developed as a multidimensional instrument adapted from DSM-IV-TR substance abuse and dependence criteria to assess SNA. This study examined evidence of validity based on the internal structure of AdiTec-I scores, reliability estimates, convergent and discriminant evidence, and measurement invariance across gender and cultural background in Spanish-speaking adolescents and young adults. The final sample comprised 3,817 participants aged 14-22 years (M = 15.94, SD = 1.44) from educational institutions in Spain and Latin America. A competitive confirmatory factor analysis showed that the hierarchical second-order model, comprising Abuse, Abstinence, Lack of Control, and Escape, provided adequate fit and was retained over the alternative models (CFI = .935, RMSEA = .066, SRMR = .046). Reliability estimates were adequate across all domains, and convergent and discriminant evidence supported score interpretation. Metric invariance supported comparable interpretation of the latent structure across gender and cultural background, whereas scalar invariance was only partially supported. These findings support the AdiTec-I as a psychometrically sound multidimensional instrument for assessing SNA in Spanish-speaking adolescents and young adults. Its hierarchical structure supports both overall severity assessment and profile-based interpretation of domain scores, with potential usefulness in preventive and clinical settings. Future research should strengthen the Escape domain, extend cross-group evidence, and examine temporal stability, external criteria, and the practical utility of interpretive thresholds.