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Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.

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  • Director: Laura E. Gómez Sánchez
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Assessing Positive Digital Experiences: A Spanish Validation of the Digital Flourishing Scale for Adolescents

Alfredo Zarco-Alpuente1, Víctor Ciudad Fernández1, Jasmina Rosič2 , Sophie Janicke-Bowles3 , Tamara Escrivà-Martínez1,4 , Paula Samper-García1


1 University of Valencia (Spain) 2 Media Psychology Lab, Department of Communication Science, KU Leuven (Belgium) 3 School of Communication Research, Chapman University, Orange (USA) 4 Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid (Spain)

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain

Background: Adolescents are immersed in digital communication, which can benefit or harm their well-being. Digital flourishing captures positive perceptions of this communication-connectedness, authentic self-presentation, positive social comparison, civil participation, and self-control-and how it contributes to well-being. In Spain there is still no validated instrument for adolescents. Method: We adapted and validated the Digital Flourishing Scale for Adolescents (DFSA) for Spanish adolescents. Study 1 involved a pilot survey (n = 13) and cognitive interviews (n = 10) to improve clarity and cultural relevance. Study 2 used a cross-sectional survey (n = 1,786) to examine the DFSA’s latent structure, measurement invariance by gender and age, internal reliability of scores, and validity evidence based on relationships to other variables. Study 3 assessed test-retest reliability of scores and longitudinal measurement invariance over six weeks (n = 289). Results: Study 1 improved item clarity and cultural relevance through linguistic adjustments. Study 2 confirmed a five-factor model, showing strict age invariance and metric gender invariance. All subscales correlated with well-being indicators. Study 3 showed poor to moderate temporal stability of scores but supported scalar longitudinal invariance. Conclusions: The Spanish DFSA is a promising tool for assessing adolescents’ digital flourishing in the Spanish context.

Antecedentes: Los adolescentes están inmersos en la comunicación digital, con efectos positivos y negativos en su bienestar. El florecimiento digital describe percepciones positivas de dicha comunicación-conectividad, autoexpresión auténtica, comparación social positiva, participación cívica y autocontrol-y su aporte al bienestar. En España no existe un instrumento validado para adolescentes. Método: Adaptamos y validamos la Escala de Florecimiento Digital para Adolescentes (DFSA) españoles. Estudio 1: incluyó encuesta piloto (n = 13) y entrevistas cognitivas (n = 10) para mejorar claridad y adecuación cultural. Estudio 2: encuesta transversal (n = 1.786) examinando estructura latente de DFSA, invarianza métrica por sexo y edad, fiabilidad interna de las puntuaciones y evidencia de validez basada en las relaciones con otras variables. Estudio 3 evaluó fiabilidad test-retest de las puntuaciones e invariancia longitudinal en seis semanas (n = 289). Resultados: Estudio 1: mejoró claridad y relevancia cultural. Estudio 2: confirmó un modelo de cinco factores, con invariancia estricta por edad e invariancia métrica por género. Todas las subescalas se correlacionaron con indicadores de bienestar. Estudio 3: mostró estabilidad temporal de las puntuaciones baja-moderada, confirmando invariancia longitudinal escalar. Conclusiones: La DFSA española es una herramienta prometedora para evaluar el florecimiento digital de los adolescentes en España.

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Factor Impacto JCR SSCI 2024 = 3.5 (Q1) · JIF percentile 2024 = 88.1 · JCI = 1.32 | CiteScore SCOPUS 2025 = 7.3 (Q1) · SJR 2025 = 1.075 · SNIP 2024 = 1.458