Digital Detox as Culturally Embedded Self-Regulation: Development and Validation of a Digital Detox Scale in a Collectivist Cultural Context

Abstract

Digital engagement is deeply embedded in everyday functioning; however, the psychologicalmeaning of intentional digital disengagement remains culturally underexplored. Existingmeasures of problematic digital use are largely derived from Western individualistic contexts andemphasize addictive behaviors, potentially overlooking culturally patterned self-regulatoryprocesses. Guided by cross-cultural models of self-construal and self-regulation, the presentstudy developed and validated a Digital Detox Scale (DDS) grounded in the lived experiences of young adults from a collectivist cultural context. Using an exploratory sequential mixed-methodsdesign, qualitative focus group discussions informed item generation, followed by exploratoryand confirmatory factor analyses to examine the scale’s structure and psychometric properties.Results supported a multidimensional, three-factor structure reflecting digital strain, self-regulatory difficulty, and intentional disengagement and recovery. The DDS demonstratedacceptable internal consistency and preliminary evidence of convergent and discriminantvalidity. Findings highlight that digital detox is not merely behavioral reduction, but a culturallyembedded self-regulatory process shaped by relational obligations and social availability norms.The study advances cross-cultural psychology by illustrating the importance of culturallygrounded measurement and provides a foundation for comparative research on digital self-regulation across cultural contexts.

Keywords: Digital Detox; Self-Regulation; Culture; Scale Development; Collectivism