Abstract
Boredom in adolescence is often underestimated, although it may be the sign of a profound unease or be associated with psychological disorders. Given the complexity of the construct of boredom and its increasing prevalence among adolescents in recent years, the present study aimed to validate the factorial structure of the Italian version of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS) in adolescents using a cross-validation approach. The study involved 272 students (33.8% males, 66.2% females) aged 14–19 (M = 15.9, SD = 1.38) living in northern and central Italy. In addition to the MSBS, the Symptoms Checklist 90-R (SCL 90-R) and the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) were administered. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses validated a 23-item structure of the MSBS, comprising five correlated factors. The tool showed a good internal consistency for these factors and a good convergent and factor validity. The MSBS consequently seems a valid and reliable method for assessing boredom in adolescence. The cut-off for the total score that could pinpoint cases posing a potential clinical risk was 88. A weak correlation was found between the total level of boredom and the daily Internet usage, while no relationship emerged between boredom and age, gender, and grades. Since excessive levels of boredom may conceal a general unease that could develop into structured psychological disorders, the value of the MSBS lies in enabling us to identify in advance adolescents at potential clinical risk.
Highlights
The procedure was explained to the classes during school hours at each school, and anonymity was guaranteed; the same questionnaires were distributed to all participants
The main aim of the present study was to validate the Italian version of the Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS) for use with adolescents, and our cross-validation study demonstrated that the original structure with five factors, and 23 of the original 29 items, showed an adequate fit with our data
As concerns the distribution of the items among the factors envisaged in the MSBS, the time perception, inattention, and disengagement factors remained substantially the same in the present version as in the original MSBS, while some differences emerged for the low arousal and high arousal factors
Summary
General Considerations and Recent Explanatory Models of Boredom. Boredom is a common affective state that may be experienced by people of any age, and that is why it is often considered a normal feature of daily life [1]. There is currently no single, shared definition of boredom. The only aspect on which authors all seem to agree is that this is an unpleasant affect characterized by a feeling of wanting something without knowing what and being unable to find something sufficiently satisfactory to do [3]. Mills and Christoff [4] stated that boredom represents a challenge to scientific research because of its complexity. The authors pointed out the importance of appreciating this experience for its temporal instability and of better investigating its dynamics
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