Psychometric properties of the Technology Device Interference Scale (TDIS) and Technology Interference in Life Examples Scale (TILES) in Spanish-speaking couples’ Relationships
Abstract
Background: Technoference is the disruptions caused by technological devices during personal interactions. Although this phenomenon is widespread, there is a lack of validated tools in Spanish. The Technology Device Interference Scale (TDIS) and the Technology Interference in Life Examples Scale (TILES) assess technoference in couples’ relationships. Methods: An observational study to evaluate their psychometric properties. 997 Spanish adults in long-term relationships completed both scales (TDIS, TILES) and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). Results: TDIS and TILES showed satisfactory internal consistency (α = .73 to .91). Their unidimensional structure was confirmed, with invariance analyses supporting use across sex and age for TILES, and partial scalar invariance for TDIS. The TDIS analysis revealed significant differences regarding the age and gender of participants; however, in the case of TILES, these differences were confined to age only. Percentiles of the total score were calculated. Higher levels of technoference were associated with a lower relationship quality. Conclusions: TDIS and TILES are valid and reliable instruments that can effectively measure the impact of technoference on couple relationships in Spanish-speaking populations.
Downloads
-
Abstract545
-
pdf192
References
Amichai-Hamburger, Y., & Etgar, S. (2016). Intimacy and Smartphone Multitasking-A New Oxymoron? Psychological Reports, 119(3), 826-838. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294116662658
Çakır, C., & Köseliören, M. (2022). Technoference as Technology Interference in The Communication Process: A Study on Married Couples [İletişim Sürecine Teknoloji Müdahalesi Olarak Teknoferans: Evli Çiftler Üzerine Bir Araştırma]. Erciyes İletişim Dergisi, 9(2), 609-626. https://doi.org/10.17680/erciyesiletisim.1091267
Cano-Prous, A., Martín-Lanas, R., Moyá-Querejeta, J., Beunza-Nuin, M. I., Lahortiga-Ramos, F., & García-Granero, M. (2014). Psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 14(2), 137-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1697-2600(14)70047-X
Chen, F. F. (2007). Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 14(3), 464-504. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705510701301834
Cordeiro, J. A., Castro, D., Nisi, V., & Nunes, N. J. (2021). BWDAT: A research tool for analyzing the consumption of VOD content at home. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 13, 100336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100336
Coyne, S. M., Stockdale, L., Busby, D., Iverson, B., & Grant, D. M. (2011). “I luv u :)!”: A descriptive study of the media use of individuals in romantic relationships. Family Relations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, 60(2), 150-162. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2010.00639.x
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297-334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555
Dixon, D., Sharp, C. A., Hughes, K., & Hughes, J. C. (2023). Parental technoference and adolescents' mental health and violent behaviour: a scoping review. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 2053. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16850-x
Finger, H., Goeke, C., Diekamp, D., Standvoß, K., & König, P. (2017). LabVanced: a unified JavaScript framework for online studies. International conference on computational social science (cologne),
Glassman, J., Humphreys, K., Yeung, S., Smith, M., Jauregui, A., Milstein, A., & Sanders, L. (2021). Parents’ Perspectives on Using Artificial Intelligence to Reduce Technology Interference During Early Childhood: Cross-sectional Online Survey. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(3), e19461. https://doi.org/10.2196/19461
Gregoire, J. (2018). ITC guidelines for translating and adapting tests. International Journal of testing, 18(2), 101-134. https://doi.org/10.1080/15305058.2017.1398166
Hales, A. H., Dvir, M., Wesselmann, E. D., Kruger, D. J., & Finkenauer, C. (2018). Cell phone-induced ostracism threatens fundamental needs. Journal of Social Psychology, 158(4), 460-473. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2018.1439877
Halpern, D., & Katz, J. E. (2017). Texting's consequences for romantic relationships: A cross-lagged analysis highlights its risks. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 386-394. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.01.051
Hipp, C. J., & Carlson, R. G. (2021). The Dyadic Association among Technoference and Relationship and Sexual Satisfaction of Young Adult Couples. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 47(5), 508-520. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623x.2021.1922562
Hu, L. T., Bentler, P. M., & Kano, Y. (1992). Can test statistics in covariance structure analysis be trusted? Psychological Bulletin, 112(2), 351-362. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.2.351
Kline, R. B. (2012). Assumptions in structural equation modeling. Handbook of structural equation modeling, 111, 125.
Mackay, L. J., Komanchuk, J., Hayden, K. A., & Letourneau, N. (2022). Impacts of parental technoference on parent-child relationships and child health and developmental outcomes: a scoping review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 11(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-022-01918-3
Mardia, K. V. (1970). Measures of multivariate skewness and kurtosis with applications. Biometrika, 57(3), 519-530.
McDaniel, B. T., & Coyne, S. M. (2016a). "Technoference": The Interference of Technology in Couple Relationships and Implications for Women's Personal and Relational Well-Being. PSYCHOLOGY OF POPULAR MEDIA CULTURE, 5(1), 85-98. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000065
McDaniel, B. T., & Coyne, S. M. (2016b). Technology interference in the parenting of young children: Implications for mothers’ perceptions of coparenting. The Social Science Journal, 53(4), 435-443. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2016.04.010
McDaniel, B. T., Galovan, A. M., Cravens, J. D., & Drouin, M. (2018). "Technoference" and Implications for Mothers' and Fathers' Couple and Coparenting Relationship Quality. Computer Human Behavior, 80, 303-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.11.019
McDaniel, B. T., Galovan, A. M., & Drouin, M. (2021). Daily technoference, technology use during couple leisure time, and relationship quality. Media Psychology, 24(5), 637-665. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2020.1783561
McDaniel, B. T., & Radesky, J. S. (2018). Technoference: longitudinal associations between parent technology use, parenting stress, and child behavior problems. Pediatric Research, 84(2), 210-218. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-018-0052-6
McDonald, R. P. (2013). Test theory: A unified treatment. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Merkaš, M., Perić, K., & Žulec, A. (2021). Parent Distraction with Technology and Child Social Competence during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Parental Emotional Stability. Journal of Family Communication, 21(3), 186-204. https://doi.org/10.1080/15267431.2021.1931228
Muñiz, J., & Fonseca-Pedrero, E. (2019). [Ten steps for test development]. Psicothema, 31(1), 7-16. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2018.291
Murray, C. E., & Campbell, E. C. (2015). The pleasures and perils of technology in intimate relationships. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 14(2), 116-140. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332691.2014.953651
Mushquash, A. R., Charlton, J. K., MacIsaac, A., & Ryan, K. (2022). Romance Behind the Screens: Exploring the Role of Technoference on Intimacy. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 25(12), 814-820. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2022.0068
Oliden, P. E., & Zumbo, B. D. (2008). Coeficientes de fiabilidad para escalas de respuesta categórica ordenada. [Reliability coefficients for ordinal response scales.]. Psicothema, 20(4), 896-901.
Roberts, J. A., & David, M. E. (2016). My life has become a major distraction from my cell phone: Partner phubbing and relationship satisfaction among romantic partners. Computers in Human Behavior, 54, 134-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.058
Sbarra, D. A., Briskin, J. L., & Slatcher, R. B. (2019). Smartphones and Close Relationships: The Case for an Evolutionary Mismatch. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(4), 596-618. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619826535
Shao, T., Zhu, C., Quan, X., Wang, H., & Zhang, C. (2022). The Relationship of Technoference in Conjugal Interactions and Child Smartphone Dependence: The Chain Mediation between Marital Conflict and Coparenting. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10949. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710949
Spanier, G. B. (1976). Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38(1), 15-28. https://doi.org/10.2307/350547
Sundqvist, A., Heimann, M., & Koch, F. S. (2020). Relationship Between Family Technoference and Behavior Problems in Children Aged 4-5 Years. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 23(6), 371-376. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0512
Wang, X., Xie, X., Wang, Y., Wang, P., & Lei, L. (2017). Partner phubbing and depression among married Chinese adults: The roles of relationship satisfaction and relationship length. Personality and Individual Differences, 110, 12-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.01.014
Zmaczyńska-Witek, B., Komborska, M., & Rogowska, A. (2019). Emotional intelligence and marital communication among married couples at different stages of marriage. Hellenic Journal of Psychology, 16(3), 288-312.
Zoppolat, G., Righetti, F., Balzarini, R. N., Alonso-Ferres, M., Urganci, B., Rodrigues, D. L., Debrot, A., Wiwattanapantuwong, J., Dharma, C., Chi, P., Karremans, J. C., Schoebi, D., & Slatcher, R. B. (2022). Relationship difficulties and “technoference” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39(11), 3204-3227. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221093611
Copyright (c) 2025 The authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
About Copyright and Licensing, more details here.
