Psychometric validation of Social Network Sites Use Motivation (SNSUM) Scale among Chinese adolescents and undergraduates

Research into the motivations for using social network sites has greatly increased in recent years. However, few studies have examined the psychometric validation of scales measuring these motivations. This research revised the Social Network Sites Use Motivations (SNSUM) Scale for application in a Chinese context. A total of 931 Chinese adolescents and undergraduates, aged 16-23 years, completed the adapted SNSUM scale and assessments of life satisfaction. Item analysis indicated all items in the SNSUM scale were retained for exploratory factor analysis (EFA). EFA results revealed a five-factor solution, explaining 75.37 % of the total variance, with factor loadings exceeding 0.40. This factor structure aligns with theoretical expectations and previous studies. Confirmatory factor analysis (χ