Sensation Seeking In Adolescents Research Articles

Stressful Life Events, Sleep Quality and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Effect of Sensation Seeking.

Despite the growing evidence that stressful life events are associated with adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), few studies have investigated the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this link. The current study examined whether sleep quality mediated the link between stressful life events and NSSI and whether this mediating process was moderated by adolescent sensation seeking. The participants were 1006 Chinese adolescents (48.21% boys; mean age = 13.16 years, SD = 0.67). They completed the Life Events Checklist, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, and NSSI Questionnaire. The PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to examine the hypothesized moderated mediation model. The results showed that sleep quality significantly mediated the positive association between stressful life events and adolescent NSSI. Moreover, this mediating pathway was moderated by sensation seeking. Specifically, the risk impact of stressful life events on NSSI through sleep quality was significant only among adolescents with high-level sensation seeking but not among those with low-level sensation seeking. These findings provide intervention insights to reduce the risk of adolescent NSSI.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with Emotion-Focused Therapy on Sensation Seeking in Adolescents with Internet Addiction

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (MBCBT) and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) on cognitive sensation seeking in adolescents with Internet addiction. Methods and Materials: This study was a pre-test, post-test, follow-up design with a control group. The population included adolescents with Internet addiction residing in Tehran, from which 45 eligible volunteers were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using Young's Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1996), and Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale (Zuckerman, 1978) at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Eight 90-minute sessions of MBCBT and eight 90-minute sessions of EFT were conducted for the experimental groups. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc tests using SPSS version 26. Findings: The results indicated that both MBCBT and EFT had a reducing effect on sensation seeking (p < .001). MBCBT and EFT showed a significant decrease over time in sensation seeking (p < .001). Conclusion: Based on the findings of the current study, there was no significant difference between MBCBT and EFT in reducing sensation seeking among adolescents with Internet addiction.

The Effect of Self-Control on Sensation Seeking in Adolescents who Play Online Games in Makassar

Sensation seeking is a personality trait that is expressed in a general tendency to seek sensations, varied experiences, new, complex, and willingness to take risks. This research aims to determine the effect of self-control on sensation seeking in teenagers who play online games in Makassar. Respondents in this study were 170 adolescents aged 13 - 18 who played online games in Makassar. Sampling using accidental sampling technique. Measuring tools used are self control scale and sensation seeking scale. This research uses quantitative methods. Data results using simple linear regression analisysis showed that was a negative effect of self-control on sensation seeking (β = -0.374, p = 0.40; p <0.05). The contribution of the influence of self-control to sensation seeking among teenagers who play online games in Makassar is 1.9% (Adjusted R2 = 0.19 and p = 0.000; p<0.05). This research shows that there is a significant influence of self-control on sensation seeking among teenagers addicted to online games in Makassar amounting to 0.19 (1.9%). Based on the results of the regression analysis test, it has a negative coefficient value of -0.374. This shows that the lower self-control, the higher the sensation seeking among teenagers addicted to online games in Makassar.

Parenting, Adolescent Sensation Seeking, and Subsequent Substance Use: Moderation by Adolescent Temperament

Although previous research has identified links between parenting and adolescent substance use, little is known about the role of adolescent individual processes, such as sensation seeking, and temperamental tendencies for such links. To test tenets from biopsychosocial models of adolescent risk behavior and differential susceptibility theory, this study investigated longitudinal associations among positive and harsh parenting, adolescent sensation seeking, and substance use and tested whether the indirect associations were moderated by adolescent temperament, including activation control, frustration, sadness, and positive emotions. Longitudinal data reported by adolescents (n = 892; 49.66% girls) and their mothers from eight cultural groups when adolescents were ages 12, 13, and 14 were used. A moderated mediation model showed that parenting was related to adolescent substance use, both directly and indirectly, through sensation seeking. Indirect associations were moderated by adolescent temperament. This study advances understanding of the developmental paths between the contextual and individual factors critical for adolescent substance use across a wide range of cultural contexts.

Life transition events and depressive symptom trajectories during young adulthood: The influence of adverse family and individual contexts in adolescence.

Because sequential patterns of multiple transition events (i.e., college graduation, full-time employment, marriage, and parenthood) are associated with turning points in depressive symptom trajectories during young adulthood, the present study used a sample of 446 White adolescents (52.3% females; 15.58 years old, on average) over 18 years (1992 to 2010) to (a) identify distinct longitudinal joint processes between these sequential patterns of life transition events and turning points of depressive symptom trajectories by using a person-centered modeling approach and (b) investigate the influence of adverse family and individual contexts (negative family economic events, hostile relationships with parents, and impulsive sensation seeking) in adolescence on these longitudinal joint processes. We identified six longitudinal joint processes: (a) traditional transition pattern with no turning points in depressive symptom trajectories, (b) traditional transition pattern with turning points in depressive symptom trajectories in the mid-to-late 20s, (c) early parenthood transition pattern with no turning points in depressive symptom trajectories, (d) early parenthood transition pattern with turning points in depressive symptom trajectories in the mid-to-late 20s, (e) precocious transition pattern with no turning points in depressive symptom trajectories, and (f) precocious transition pattern with depressive symptom turning points (or fluctuations) throughout young adulthood. Negative family economic events, hostile relationships with parents, and impulsive sensation seeking in adolescence influenced these longitudinal joint processes. Hostile relationships with parents also uniquely influenced turning points in depressive symptoms during young adulthood while impulsive sensation seeking uniquely influence sequential patterns of life transition events. Clinical implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Relations Among Adolescent Alcohol and Cannabis Co-Use, Adolescent Impulsive Traits, and Prospective Change in Impulsive Traits into Emerging Adulthood.

Models of personality suggest that adolescent substance use may be associated with adolescent impulsive traits as well as changes in impulsive traits from adolescence into emerging adulthood. However, little research has focused on how adolescent alcohol and cannabis co-use, an increasingly popular and risky substance use pattern, may relate to adolescent impulsive traits as well as changes in impulsive traits from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Therefore, the current study tested patterns of adolescent co-use and their links with adolescent impulsive traits and changes in impulsive traits into emerging adulthood. Data come from the Add Health study and encompassed two timepoints spanning adolescence (age 13-18) and emerging adulthood (age 19-25). A combination of latent profile analysis, mean comparisons, and latent difference scores were estimated. Results suggested that four profiles of co-users and alcohol-only users emerged, and profiles differed in levels of adolescent personality and prospective personality change. Importantly, frequent adolescent co-users had higher levels of adolescent sensation seeking and impulsivity, but also reported the steepest decline in both traits into emerging adulthood. Findings are discussed in terms of personality theory and public health implications.

Relations Between Adolescent Sensation Seeking and Risky Sexual Behaviors Across Sex, Race, and Age: A Meta-Analysis.

Sensation seeking (SS)-the seeking of novel and intense sensations or experiences and the willingness to take risks for the sake of such experiences-has been shown to be related to various risky sexual behaviors (RSBs) in areas such as multiple sexual partners, condom use, and sexual initiation. The aims of the current meta-analysis were to examine (1) how SS relates to specific RSBs in adolescents and (2) how the overall relationship between SS and RSB differs across sex, race, and age. Overall, a total of 40 studies met the inclusion criteria for our meta-analysis examining the relationship between SS and RSB, contributing 102 effect sizes. RSB variables included unprotected sex; multiple sexual partners; hazardous sexual activity; sexual initiation; virginity status; and history of sexually transmitted disease (STD) diagnosis. Moderating effects of sex, race, and age were also examined. The overall mean effect size of the correlational relationship between adolescent SS and RSB was statistically significant, as were the mean effect sizes of the relationships between SS and RSB subgroups, except for history of STD diagnosis. Race and age did not significantly moderate the overall relationship between SS and RSB; however, results indicated that SS and RSB relations were stronger in females compared to males. Our findings suggest that adolescents with elevations in SS tendencies tend to engage in more RSBs compared to their peers with lower levels of SS, increasing their risk of unplanned pregnancy and STD acquisition.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Intervention in Distress Tolerance and Sensation-seeking in Adolescents With a Drug-addicted Parent

Background: Substance abuse of a family member can be effective as an observational model regarding the tendency to substance abuse in other family members. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention in distress tolerance and sensation-seeking in adolescents with an addicted parent in Ahvaz. Methods: This was a pre-test-post-test clinical trial study with a control group. The statistical population of the research comprised all adolescents with an addicted parent in Ahvaz City, Iran, in the school year 2019-2020. In this research, 30 adolescents with an addicted parent were selected through convenience sampling and equally divided into experimental and control groups (n=15). The distress tolerance scale and the sensation-seeking questionnaire were used to collect data. The experimental group underwent MBSR intervention for eight 60-minute sessions. The control group received no intervention. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance through SPSS software, version 23. Results: The results suggested that MBSR was effective in increasing distress tolerance and reducing sensation seeking of adolescents with an addicted parent in Ahvaz (P<0.001). Conclusion: Accordingly, this treatment can be used to reduce distress and sensation seeking in adolescents with an addicted parent and decrease their stress.

Maturing out of alcohol and cannabis co-use: A test of patterns and personality predictors.

Reductions in substance involvement into adulthood are thought to represent a normative maturing out of substance use. However, patterns and predictors of maturing out of alcohol and cannabis co-use remain largely unstudied. Therefore, the current study tested developmental trajectories of alcohol and cannabis use from late adolescence into adulthood and whether late adolescent personality traits predicted trajectory class membership. Data come from a longitudinal study of family history of alcohol disorder (N=458). Age bands were created to model trajectories of drinking quantity, negative alcohol consequences, and cannabis use frequency from late adolescence (age 18-22) to young adulthood (age 23-28) and adulthood (age 29-36). Participants reported on their sensation seeking, conscientiousness, and neuroticism during late adolescence and their typical drinking quantity, negative alcohol consequences, and cannabis use frequency at each age band. Three trajectory classes were derived from an initial Parallel Process Growth Mixture Model: (1) low-risk maturing out of alcohol-only use, (2) high-risk maturing out of co-use, and (3) high-risk switchers who increased their cannabis use into adulthood. Late adolescent sensation seeking was associated with higher odds of being in both co-use trajectories, whereas a lack of conscientiousness was associated with higher odds of being a co-use switcher. We identified heterogeneity in trajectories of co-use, which suggests that a lack of maturing out of alcohol involvement may be accompanied by increased cannabis use. Moreover, late adolescent personality traits may predispose individuals toward riskier developmental trajectories of substance use into adulthood.

The Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Training on Addiction Readiness and Sensation Seeking in Adolescents with Substance-Dependent Parent

The Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Training on Addiction Readiness and Sensation Seeking in Adolescents with Substance-Dependent Parent

Associations of developmental imbalance between sensation seeking and premeditation in adolescence and heavy episodic drinking in emerging adulthood.

Dual systems theories suggest that greater imbalance between higher reward sensitivity and lower cognitive control across adolescence conveys risk for behaviors such as heavy episodic drinking (HED). Prior research demonstrated that psychological analogues of these systems, sensation seeking and premeditation, change from childhood through emerging adulthood, and each has been independently linked with HED. However, few studies have assessed whether change over time in these developing analogues is prospectively associated with HED. Moreover, we know of no research that has shown whether within-person differences between higher sensation seeking and relatively lower premeditation across the adolescent period predict HED in emerging adulthood. Prospective data from the National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence study (n=715) were used to examine the association of sensation seeking and premeditation with HED among adolescents ages 16 to 20years. We used novel applications of latent difference score modeling and growth curve analysis to test whether increasing sensation seeking, premeditation, and their imbalance over time are associated with HED across the study period, and whether these associations differed by sex. Whereas premeditation increased linearly from adolescence through emerging adulthood across sexes, males reported growth and females reported decline in sensation seeking. Sensation seeking in adolescence (and not premeditation) was associated with higher levels of HED by emerging adulthood. Importantly, greater imbalance between sensation seeking and premeditation was associated with higher levels of HED by emerging adulthood though we note that variability capturing this imbalance correlated highly (r=0.86) with baseline levels of sensation seeking. Developmental imbalance between higher sensation seeking and lower premeditation in late adolescence may be a risk factor for greater HED in emerging adulthood.

Relationship between sensation seeking, alcohol problems and bulimic symptoms: a community-based, longitudinal study

PurposeThe association of bulimic symptoms with sensation seeking is uncertain; however, both behaviors have been linked to alcohol problems. We assessed in a longitudinal, community-based setting whether sensation seeking in adolescence is associated with bulimic symptoms in early adulthood, also accounting for alcohol problems.MethodsFinnish men (N = 2000) and women (N = 2467) born between 1974–1979 completed Zuckerman’s sensation seeking scale (SSS) at age 18. Alcohol problems (Malmö-modified Michigan alcoholism screening test (Mm-MAST) and bulimic symptoms [eating disorder inventory-2, bulimia subscale (EDI-Bulimia), population and clinical scoring systems] were defined at age 22–27. We examined relationships between SSS, Mm-MAST, and EDI-Bulimia using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) and linear regression.ResultsAlcohol problems were moderately correlated with sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms (population scoring) among women and men (r = 0.21–0.31). The correlation between sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms (population scoring) was weak among men (r = 0.06, p = 0.006) and even weaker and non-significant among women (r = 0.03, p = 0.214). Adjustment for alcohol problems removed the association between sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms among men. Furthermore, there were no significant correlations between sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms when assessing EDI-Bulimia clinical scoring.ConclusionSensation seeking and bulimic symptoms were not associated among women. The association between sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms among men was entirely attributable to increased alcohol problems among those with higher sensation seeking. While this association may be important on the population level, its clinical significance may be minor.Level of evidenceLevel III, well-designed cohort study.

Sensation seeking and nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior among adolescent psychiatric patients

The Benefits and Barriers model of NSSI postulates that engagement in NSSI is positively reinforced by potent benefits, however there are a host of barriers to engagement, any one of which is salient enough to prevent engagement. It is possible that individual differences in sensation seeking, a trait that describes optimal level of positive reinforcement, may alter the balance between the benefits and barriers of engagement in NSSI. There are significant associations between engagement in NSSI and sensation seeking in college undergraduates, a population with disproportionately high rates of NSSI. However, it is unclear whether these traits play a similar role in adolescents. We expected that higher levels of sensation seeking would positively relate to any NSSI history, lifetime frequency of NSSI, and earlier age at onset of NSSI among a sample of 200 adolescents in a psychiatric hospital. Consistent with previous research, results indicated that females were more likely to engage in NSSI than males. Additionally, increased sensation seeking was associated with greater likelihood of ever engaging in NSSI and a greater number of different NSSI methods tried. Though we expected sensation seeking would be significantly related to lifetime NSSI frequency and earlier onset of NSSI, it was not. Findings suggest that individual differences may alter relations between the benefits and barriers of NSSI and that measuring sensation seeking in adolescents, especially females, and especially those experiencing psychological distress, may identify those at highest risk for engaging in NSSI and may allow for targeted intervention with these individuals.

Problematic shopping and self-injurious behaviors in adolescents.

Background and aimsSelf-injurious behaviors (SIBs) and problematic shopping (PS) are both prevalent in adolescents. These behaviors have been proposed as behavioral addictions and linked to impulsivity (Imp) and sensation-seeking (SS). They are also associated with negative mental health and psychosocial measures. This study examined relationships between PS and SIB in adolescents. It also examined how PS and SIB relate to Imp and SS, and interactions between PS and SIB in relation to health/functioning measures.MethodsSurvey data from 2,624 Connecticut high-school students were evaluated using chi-square analyses. Next, logistic regression models were used to assess relationships between PS and measures of SIB. T-tests compared Imp and SS in adolescents with and without PS and SIB. Interaction analyses assessed effects of PS on relationships between SIB and health/functioning measures.ResultsAdolescents with PS had 3.43-fold higher odds of endorsing lifetime SIB than those without PS, and were more likely to exhibit severe SIB and disruption due to SIB. PS and SIB were associated with elevated Imp and SS. Interaction analyses revealed that in adolescents with PS, the relationships between SIB and substance use was weaker than in adolescents without PS. This suggests PS accounts for variance in relationships between SIB and substance use.Discussion and conclusionsPS is strongly related to SIB prevalence, severity, and impairment in adolescents, and weakens associations between SIB and substance use. PS should therefore be considered for prevention efforts for SIB. Further research should investigate mechanisms connecting PS and SIB and explore possible interventions targeting associated features like Imp and SS.

Sensation Seeking and Gambling Behavior in Adolescence: Can Externalizing Problems Moderate this Relationship?

Gambling is a widespread phenomenon during adolescence. Among different risk factors involved in the onset of adolescent gambling behaviors, one factor that is studied is the sensation seeking personality trait. However, the literature is heterogeneous and a direct relationship between sensation seeking and gaming behaviors has not always been highlighted. This suggests that the relationship can be influenced by other factors. In particular, we explored the moderating role of externalizing problems in this relationship. A total of 363 adolescents (232 males and 131 females) aged 14 to 20 (M = 16.35, SD = 1.36) completed a battery of questionnaires aimed to assess their gambling behaviors, as well as the levels of externalizing problems and sensation seeking. The results showed that sensation seeking was associated with gambling severity, but this relationship was significant when externalizing problems were high and medium. On the contrary, when externalizing problems were low, the relationship between sensation seeking and gambling severity was not significant. Overall, sensation seeking in adolescence can favor the implementation of risk behaviors, such as gambling, but only in association with the presence of externalizing problems. Limitations, strengths, and social and clinical implications of the present study are discussed.

Voluntary pursuit of negatively valenced stimuli from childhood to early adulthood.

Although common sense suggests that we are motivated to pursue positive and avoid negative experiences, previous research shows that people regularly seek out negative experiences. In the current study, we characterized this tendency from childhood to young adulthood. Due to the known increases in risky behavior and sensation seeking in adolescence, we hypothesized that adolescents would show an increased engagement with negatively valenced stimuli compared to children and adults. Participants aged 4-25 (N=192) completed a behavioral task assessing motivation to engage with negative, positive, and neutral images. On each trial, participants viewed two small images and selected one to view at a larger size for up to 10s. Trials were organized into three valence conditions: negative versus positive images (matched on arousal), negative versus neutral images, and positive versus neutral images. Although participants chose positive images more than neutral or negative images, participants selected negative images frequently, even when given a positive (28% of trials) or neutral (42% of trials) alternative. Contrary to expectations, the tendency to choose negative images was highest in early childhood and decreased linearly with increasing age, and the tendency to choose positive images increased linearly with age. These results provide insight into how motivation to engage with emotional stimuli varies across age. It is possible that the novelty and rarity of negative experiences drives children to pursue these stimuli. Alternatively, children may find negative images less aversive, which would caution against assuming that these stimuli elicit the same motivational states in individuals of all ages.

Relations between adolescent sensation seeking and traffic injury: Multiple-mediating effects of road safety attitudes, intentions and behaviors

Objective: Road traffic injuries to youth are a serious global public health concern. One contributor to adolescent injury risk is the tendency to engage in sensation seeking behaviors. The current study examined how sensation seeking personality might directly influence adolescent traffic injury, as well as how it might indirectly influence traffic injury as mediated by road safety attitudes, intentions, and behaviors.Methods: 4470 adolescents of 10–15 years were recruited from 29 primary and secondary schools in China. Youth completed several self-report questionnaires, including measures of sensation seeking, road safety attitudes and intentions, and road user behaviors. Spearman correlations and logistic regression tested the direct effects of sensation seeking, road safety attitudes, road behavior intentions, and road user behaviors on traffic injury. Structural Equation Modeling evaluated a multiple mediation model of road safety attitudes, intentions, and behaviors as mediators of the association between sensation seeking and adolescent traffic injury.Results: Correlation coefficients between traffic injury and the other variables ranged from 0.01 to 0.15, with moderate relations emerging between adolescent traffic injury and most other variables. Logistic regression analysis showed that Disinhibition sensation seeking, road safety attitudes, and road user behaviors predicted adolescent traffic injury significantly (OR = 1.03, 0.35, 2.99, respectively). The multiple mediation model analysis indicated that, after controlling for adolescent gender and age, most paths were significant: both road safety attitudes and road user behaviors mediated the association between Disinhibition and traffic injury, and road safety attitudes, road behavior intentions, and road user behaviors sequentially mediated the relation between Disinhibition and traffic injury.Conclusions: There were direct effects of Disinhibition sensation seeking, road safety attitudes, and road user behaviors on adolescent traffic injury. Sensation seeking also indirectly affected adolescent traffic injury through multiple mediating roles of road safety attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. Implications for traffic injury prevention and training are discussed.

The Relationship Between Sensation Seeking and Tobacco and Alcohol Use Among Junior High School Students: The Regulatory Effect of Parental Psychological Control

The present study primarily aims to examine differences in the use of tobacco and alcohol by junior high school students under different parental control levels (including parental psychological control and parental behavioral control). It thus explores the regulatory effect of parental control on the relationship between adolescent sensation seeking and tobacco and alcohol use. A total of 1,050 junior high school students in Shandong province were surveyed using sensation-seeking scale, parental control scale, and adolescent health-related risk behavior questionnaire. As the results showed, (1) sensation seeking and gender had effects on the use of tobacco and alcohol among junior high school students; (2) parental psychological control can enhance and moderate the relationship between sensation seeking and the use of tobacco and alcohol; (3) parental behavioral control cannot regulate the relationship between sensation seeking and the use of tobacco and alcohol among junior high school students; and (4) no significant urban-rural differences were found regarding the regulatory effects of parental psychological control on sensation seeking and alcohol and tobacco use in junior high school students.

청소년의 자극추구성향이 위험행동에 미치는 영향: 부모감독의 조절효과를 중심으로

청소년의 자극추구성향이 위험행동에 미치는 영향: 부모감독의 조절효과를 중심으로

Risky Behaviors and Sensation-Seeking in Adolescence: A Descriptive Correlational Study

ABSTRACT Risky behaviors are common in developing countries, especially in adolescence. Moreover, sensation seeking is an important factor in personality. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between risky behaviors and sensation-seeking in a sample of Iranian adolescents. This study used a cross-sectional method with 400 high school adolescents (age between 15 and 21 years old) in Kashan city from multistage random sampling. The research instrument consisted of three parts: a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) and the Zuckerman Sensation-Seeking Scale-V (SSS-V). Data analysis was performed using the t-test, ANOVA, chi-square, regression and Spearman correlation coefficient in SPSS v 11.5. Risky behaviors were found in 51.2% of students, and a significant difference was found between the male and female students in this regard (p < .021). The overall sensation-seeking score and the scores in the dimensions of experience seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility were higher in males than females (p < .0001). All dimensions of sensation-seeking other than disinhibition dimension could significantly predict risky behavior. Sensation seeking can be used as an indicator for screening risky behaviors. Detailed planning on the part of the health care system and public authorities is recommended for appropriate screening and counseling adolescents with risky behaviors.