Psychometric Validation of the Arabic Doomscrolling Scale Among Saudi Young-Adult Social Media Users: Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance Across Gender, and Digital Correlates

Vollständiger Abstract

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Doomscrolling has emerged as a specific pattern of digital engagement involving habitual and immersive exposure to negative online news, yet no published Arabic validation of the Doomscrolling Scale has been identified. This study aimed to translate the Doomscrolling Scale into Arabic and evaluate preliminary psychometric evidence for its use among Saudi young-adult social media users by examining its factor structure, reliability, measurement invariance across gender, and convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 793 Saudi social media users aged 18–25 years. The sample was randomly split into exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 396) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 397) subsamples. Parallel analysis and EFA supported a one-factor structure. Ordinal CFA using WLSMV in the independent CFA subsample supported the 15-item one-factor model, scaled χ2(90) = 216.48, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.976, TLI = 0.972, RMSEA = 0.060, 90% CI [0.050, 0.070], and SRMR = 0.040; standardized loadings ranged from 0.585 to 0.787. Internal consistency was high in the full sample (Cronbach’s α = 0.921), and model-based reliability was strong (McDonald’s ω/composite reliability = 0.924). Ordinal measurement invariance across gender was supported up to the strict level. Doomscrolling correlated positively with fear of missing out, problematic social media use, daily social media use, and news-checking frequency, and negatively with perceived digital well-being. In a latent incremental-validity model, doomscrolling retained a unique negative association with perceived digital well-being (β = −0.269, p < 0.001). The 15-item Arabic Doomscrolling Scale has preliminary support as an internally consistent and valid research measure for assessing doomscrolling among Saudi young-adult social media users.