Cross-cultural measurement invariance and comparison of the mobile phone dependence questionnaire (MPDQ) between adolescents from mainland China and Hong Kong

Background Mobile phone dependence (MPD) is a serious public health concern in schools. To advance cross-cultural understanding of MPD, this study examined factor structure, measurement invariance, and latent mean differences of the mobile phone dependence questionnaire (MPDQ) across mainland Chinese and Hong Kong adolescents. Methods A total of 918 middle school students (588 boys and 310 girls; M _age = 13.58, SD  = 1.46) were involved, comprising 367 mainland Chinese adolescents and 551 Hong Kong adolescents. Results The three-factor structure of the MPDQ, proposed by previous research conducted in Hong Kong adolescents, was also supported in mainland Chinese adolescents. Configural, partial metric, and partial scalar cross-cultural measurement invariance were all achieved. Hong Kong adolescents reported higher scores on all MPD factors than their mainland Chinese counterparts with large effect sizes. Conclusions The findings highlight the cross-cultural similarities and differences of MPD among adolescents in mainland China and Hong Kong. The MPDQ is culturally sensitive to measure MPD in both cultures, while certain items may need further cultural adaptation. Moreover, Hong Kong adolescents demonstrated more disordered thoughts and behaviors associated with MPD than mainland Chinese adolescents. Implications for using the MPDQ for assessing and understanding the MPD from diverse cultural backgrounds are discussed.