Greater Sensation Seeking Research Articles

Negative Urgency, (Lack of) Premeditation, and Sensation Seeking: Indirect Relationships with Suicidal Ideation through Thwarted Interpersonal Needs

Objective Differences in how impulsivity is conceptualized, along with a myopic focus on impulsivity’s relationship with historical suicidal behaviors, have resulted in limited implications made from prior research regarding impulsivity and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The current study investigated the indirect effect facets of impulsivity may have on suicidal ideation, specifically, through thwarted interpersonal needs. Methods Participants were N = 424 undergraduate students who completed a cross-sectional survey. Participants completed the Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking, Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS), the Adult Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (ASIQ), and the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ). Parallel mediation models were run to examine the relation between facets of impulsivity, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and suicidal ideation. Results Thwarted belonginess and perceived burdensomeness significantly accounted for the variance in the relation between negative urgency and suicidal ideation. Neither thwarted belongingness nor perceived burdensomeness significantly explained variance in the relation between (lack of) premeditation and suicidal ideation. Conversely, perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belonginess significantly explained the inverse relation between sensation seeking and suicidal ideation (i.e., greater sensation seeking was related to lower perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness and in turn lower suicidal ideation). Conclusion Negative urgency, in particular, is related to suicidal ideation through thwarted interpersonal needs. Future research should continue to differentiate between various types of impulsivity and its relationship with both suicidal ideation and behaviors utilizing both cross-sectional and ambulatory assessments of these constructs. HIGHLIGHTS Negative urgency is related to suicidal ideation. Negative urgency is related to thwarted interpersonal needs. Thwarted interpersonal needs partially explain the relation between negative urgency and suicidal ideation.

Adverse childhood experiences, developmental differences in impulse control and sensation seeking, and delinquency: A prospective multi-cohort study

PurposeDevelopmental trajectories of low impulse control coupled with high sensation seeking are associated with greater adolescent delinquency. In addition, several studies link adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to lower self-control and increases in delinquency. Herein, we develop and test an integrated model which synthesizes these two strands of research. MethodsUsing four waves of panel data from the Supporting Healthy Adolescent Relationships and Environments (SHARE) study, we estimate latent classes representing dual trajectories of impulse control and sensation seeking to investigate if the association between ACEs and delinquency operates indirectly via class membership among two cohorts of youth. ResultsGreater exposure to ACEs is associated with membership in latent classes characterized by greater sensation seeking and lower impulse control. In addition, membership in such classes is positively associated with delinquency, and the association between ACEs and delinquency is partially mediated by class membership in each cohort of youth. ConclusionsFindings demonstrate the utility of integrating insights from multiple fields to study the cascading effects of ACEs. Still, there appear to be additional avenues through which ACEs shape later involvement in delinquency that extend beyond the dual systems framework, necessitating additional research on other potentially relevant mechanisms.

Neural heterogeneity underlying late adolescent motivational processing is linked to individual differences in behavioral sensation seeking.

Adolescent risk-taking, including sensation seeking (SS), is often attributed to developmental changes in connectivity among brain regions implicated in cognitive control and reward processing. Despite considerable scientific and popular interest in this neurodevelopmental framework, there are few empirical investigations of adolescent functional connectivity, let alone examinations of its links to SS behavior. The studies that have been done focus on mean-based approaches and leave unanswered questions about individual differences in neurodevelopment and behavior. The goal of this paper is to take a person-specific approach to the study of adolescent functional connectivity during a continuous motivational state, and to examine links between connectivity and self-reported SS behavior in 104 adolescents (MAge =19.3; SDAge =1.3). Using Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation (GIMME), person-specific connectivity during two neuroimaging runs of a monetary incentive delay task was estimated among 12 a priori brain regions of interest representing reward, cognitive, and salience networks. Two data-driven subgroups were detected, a finding that was consistent between both neuroimaging runs, but associations with SS were only found in the first run, potentially reflecting neural habituation in the second run. Specifically, the subgroup that had unique connections between reward-related regions had greater SS and showed a distinctive relation between connectivity strength in the reward regions and SS. These findings provide novel evidence for heterogeneity in adolescent brain-behavior relations by showing that subsets of adolescents have unique associations between neural motivational processing and SS. Findings have broader implications for future work on reward processing, as they demonstrate that brain-behavior relations may attenuate across runs.

Facets of Impulsivity in Relation to Diet Quality and Physical Activity in Adolescence.

Although the construct of impulsivity has generally been found to be associated with obesity and health behaviors in adults, research among adolescents is more limited and studies have yet to elucidate which facets of impulsivity may be most salient with regard to different eating and physical activity behaviors. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study assessed facets of impulsivity, measured by the UPPS-P questionnaire, in relation to health behaviors among adolescents. A sample of 2797 high school students from Los Angeles, California completed self-report measures during the ninth grade. The UPPS-P subscales (i.e., (lack of) premeditation, sensation seeking, (lack of) perseverance, negative urgency, positive urgency) were examined as predictors of unhealthy diet quality (i.e., frequency of consumption of high-fat foods and sweet food and drinks, measured by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Quick Food Scan) and frequency of vigorous physical activity (measured by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System). Greater sensation seeking, positive urgency, and negative urgency was associated with greater unhealthy diet quality (ps < 0.001). Greater negative urgency and lack of perseverance was associated with less frequent vigorous physical activity, whereas greater sensation seeking, lack of premeditation, and positive urgency was associated with more frequent vigorous physical activity (ps < 0.05). While negative urgency (i.e., impulsivity in the context of negative emotions) was consistently associated with poor health behaviors, other facets of impulsivity may potentiate vigorous physical activity in youth. Together these findings underscore the importance of considering the multidimensional nature of impulsivity in relation to adolescents’ health behaviors and highlight areas for future longitudinal research.

Moderate amounts of media multitasking are associated with optimal task performance and minimal mind wandering

The simultaneous engagement in more than one form of media, known as media multitasking, is an ever-increasing phenomenon in our daily lives. Previous studies have associated media multitasking with lower self-control, greater sensation seeking and inattention, which could have detrimental effects on task performance. The current study examined task performance and mind wandering of heavy, intermediate and light media multitaskers as a function of task difficulty in an n-back task. The results showed that intermediate media multitaskers performed better than heavy media multitaskers at the more difficult than easier levels of the task. The performance of heavy and light media multitaskers did not significantly differ across difficulty levels. Intermediate media multitaskers also mind wandered less than heavy media multitaskers; however, their mind wandering did not differ from that of light media multitaskers. Thus, the results indicate an inverted U-shape relationship between media multitasking, task performance and mind wandering. The findings further suggest that the association between frequent media multitasking and greater mind wandering may be due to executive function failures as a result of insufficient cognitive control and distraction.

Psychosocial characteristics of primary care-seeking long-distance truck drivers in Kenya and associations with HIV testing

The 90-90-90 strategy from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) to end the AIDS epidemic by 2020 includes, as its first goal, to have 90% of all people living with HIV to know their status. Achieving this goal will depend on effectively reaching high risk populations, which include mobile populations such as truck drivers. This study aimed to characterise a sample of 305 truck drivers recruited from 2 roadside wellness clinics in Kenya in terms of anticipated HIV stigma, self-efficacy, fatalism, gender equity, sensation seeking, and self-esteem, and then determine the association of these psychosocial characteristics with HIV testing behaviour. Greater general self-efficacy was associated with higher income and more years working as a truck driver. Greater fatalism was associated with non-Christian religion, being married, and having a lower income. Greater gender equity was associated with completing high school, being married, and having higher income. Greater sensation seeking was associated with lower income and fewer years employed as a truck driver. In multivariable logistic regression adjusted for demographic variables, anticipated HIV stigma was negatively associated with having ever tested for HIV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.63–0.98; p = 0.034) and self-esteem was positively associated with testing (aOR = 1.06; 95% CI = 1.00–1.12; p = 0.038). Associations with HIV testing behaviour were not significant for self-efficacy, fatalism, gender equity, or sensation seeking. Public health interventions aiming to reduce anticipated stigma and increase self-esteem may potentially increase the uptake of HIV testing among truck drivers. Further research is needed to better understand the influence of these psychosocial characteristics on HIV testing.

Do personality traits related to affect regulation predict other tobacco product use among young adult non-daily smokers?

IntroductionUnderstanding factors that influence non-cigarette tobacco use is important given these products' prevalence and health risks. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that personality traits related to affect regulation would be associated with greater frequency of other tobacco product (OTP) use in a sample of young adult non-daily smokers. MethodsParticipants (n=518, 51% male) aged 18–24 were non-daily cigarette smokers recruited from the community for a longitudinal study of tobacco use. Personality characteristics (impulsivity, anhedonia, and negative affectivity) were measured at baseline, and participants reported recent tobacco use at baseline and 3, 6, and 9months later. Assessments were conducted online or via mobile phone. ResultsAcross the 4 assessments, 33–52% of participants reported recent OTP use, with frequency of use decreasing over time. Longitudinal negative binomial regression models indicated that greater sensation seeking and lack of premeditation were associated with more frequent OTP use (ps<0.05). These effects were consistent over time. ConclusionsFindings suggest that young adult non-daily cigarette smokers with greater propensity for immediately rewarding behaviors may use OTPs more frequently. Young, non-daily cigarette smokers with high levels of sensation seeking and/or lack of premeditation may be at increased risk for harms related to OTP use and may benefit from prevention and cessation strategies that specifically address affect.

Gender differences and temperaments affective, impulsivity, sensation seeking and traits of schizotypal personality

BackgroundIn the literature, the growing interest to the gender such as variable expression and treatment of psychiatric disorders, it is emerged in a considerable number of fields. Gender differences have become the subject of numerous investigations, in order to verify how the sex variable might affect the psychopathology.AimsWe propose to evaluate the role of gender differences in the development of traits of schizotypal personality, impulsivity, SS and their influence in the definition of temperamental component.MaterialsWe recruited 173 healthy subjects, between 18 and 65 years, who completed the following tests: BIS-11; SPQ; SDS; SAS; HCL-32; TEMPS-A; SSS.ResultsThe bivariate analysis by gender shows scores for the hyperthymic temperament significantly higher among males compared to the scores for the female sex, which, in turn, presents higher scores for cyclothymic. The levels of anxiety and depression are higher among women while levels of sensation seeking are higher among men. Although the male gender is associated with a greater sensation seeking, compared to women, it is not showed a higher correlation with the different types of impulsivity. We can find significant differences to the subscales for the SPQ between the two genders.ConclusionsThe examination of these data may suggest the existence of differential specific features of gender that, in the presence of psychopathology, become more easily detectable; particularly in the male gender, it seems to emerge more impulsive behavior and activation compared to the female gender in which instead it seems to prevail a tendency to emotionality and introversion.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Anticipatory representations of reward and threat in perceptual areas from preadolescence to late adolescence

This study examined whether changes in perceptual processes can partially account for the increase in reward-orientated behaviour during adolescence. This was investigated by examining reinforcement-dependent potentiation to discriminative stimuli (SD) that predicted rewarding or threatening outcomes. To that end, perceptual event-related potentials that are modulated by motivationally salient stimuli, the N170 and Late Positive Potential (LPP), were recorded from 30 preadolescents (9–12 years), 30 adolescents (13–17 years), and 34 late adolescents (18–23 years) while they completed an instrumental task in which they emitted or omitted a motor response to obtain rewards and avoid losses. The LPP, but not the N170, showed age, but not gender, differences in reinforcement-dependent potentiation; preadolescents, adolescents, and late adolescents showed potentiation to SD that predicted a threat, whereas only preadolescents showed potentiation to SD that predicted a reward. Notably, the magnitude of threat-related LPP reinforcement-dependent potentiation decreased during the course of adolescence. In addition, greater sensation seeking was associated with greater LPP amplitudes in preadolescent males, but smaller LPP amplitudes in late adolescent males. Critically, these findings provide initial evidence for developmental differences in value-related coding in perceptual areas, where adolescents show greater perceptual biases to avoidance-related cues than to reward-related cues.

Altered developmental trajectories for impulsivity and sensation seeking among adolescent substance users

A number of studies have associated impulsivity and sensation seeking with level of substance use and risk for developing a substance use disorder. These relationships may be particularly apparent during adolescence, when developmental changes in impulsivity and sensation seeking occur at the same time as increased opportunities for substance use. To examine this, the current study measured impulsivity and sensation seeking from pre-adolescence to mid-adolescence in a sample of youth, the majority of whom were identified as being at risk for developing a substance use disorder based on their family history of substance use disorders. Youth were separated into those who did (n=117) and did not (n=269) initiate substance use by mid-adolescence. Results showed that substance users were more impulsive and more sensation seeking during pre-adolescence, prior to any significant substance use, and that greater sensation seeking in pre-adolescence was related to heavier substance use by mid-adolescence. In addition, developmental trajectories for substance-using youth showed a greater increase in sensation seeking but a more modest decrease in impulsivity from pre-adolescence to mid-adolescence. Taken together, these results indicate that increased impulsivity and sensation seeking is apparent in adolescent substance users as early as pre-adolescence, that the difference between substance users and non-users becomes larger across early adolescence as their developmental trajectories diverge, and that greater sensation seeking in pre-adolescence may predict increased substance use by mid-adolescence.

Predictors of continued problem drinking and substance use following military discharge.

The goals of the present study were to (a) examine change in rates of problem alcohol/substance use among a sample of veterans between their last year of military service and their first year following separation, (b) identify predictors of continued problem use in the first year after separation, and (c) evaluate the hypothesis that avoidant coping, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and chronic stress place individuals at particularly high risk for continued problem use. Participants (N = 1,599) completed self-report measures before and during the year following separation. Participants who endorsed either having used more than intended or wanting or needing to cut down during the past year were considered to have problem use. Of 742 participants reporting problem substance use at baseline, 42% reported continued problem substance use at follow-up ("persistors"). Persistors reported more trouble adjusting to civilian life, had a greater likelihood of driving while intoxicated, and had a greater likelihood of aggression. Multivariate analyses showed that avoidant coping score at baseline and higher PTSD symptom score and greater sensation seeking at follow up predicted continued problem use. Understanding risk factors for continued problem use is a prerequisite for targeted prevention of chronic problems and associated negative life consequences.

Factors Associated With Small Cigar Use Among College Students

To assess small cigar use among college students in the southeastern United States. Data from a 2010 online survey were analyzed to examine small cigar smoking and its sociodemographic and psychosocial correlates among 4388 college students, aged 18-30. Small cigar users were more likely to be younger, male, black, and current cigarette, cigar, hookah, or marijuana smokers (p's < .05). They reported lower perceived harm of smoking and greater sensation seeking and perceived stress. Menthol cigarette smokers were more likely to smoke small cigars. Small cigar use and the co-occurrence of other tobacco and substance use should be addressed among college students.

Factors Associated With Adolescents' Propensity to Drive With Multiple Passengers and to Engage in Risky Driving Behaviors

Research shows that parenting factors and individual difference variables, such as sensation seeking (SS) and risk perceptions (RPs), are associated with increased motor vehicle crash risk for young drivers. The presence of peer passengers is also known to be associated with increased crash risk. However, as previous studies did not study these factors concurrently, less is known about the factors that are associated with driving with peer passengers and if peer passengers may mediate the effect of parenting and individual difference variables on adolescents' engagement in risky driving behavior. We examined predictors of driving with multiple passengers (DWMPs) and explored it as a potential mediator of pathways from three factors: (1) SS, (2) RPs, and (3) Parental monitoring and rule-setting to risky driving behaviors in a convenience sample of 198 adolescent drivers using a cross-sectional Web-based survey. Findings indicate that both stronger RPs and perceiving parents as strong monitors and rule setters were associated with less engagement in risky driving, whereas greater SS was associated with more engagement in risky driving; RPs, monitoring, and SS were also significantly associated with DWMPs in these same directions. DWMPs partially mediated the effect of these risk factors on risky driving behavior. Results inform theory and policy by examining factors associated with risk taking in the context of adolescent driving. Interventions can be developed to complement graduated driver licensing laws by targeting individual difference variables and decreasing opportunities for peer passenger carriage.

Psychosocial Factors and Health-Risk Behaviors Associated with Hookah use among College Students

Prevalence of hookah or waterpipe smoking is increasing in the United States, particularly among college-aged students. Little research has examined the relationship between hookah smoking, other risk-seeking behaviors, and specific personality factors. The current study aims to address this gap in the literature. A random sample of 10,000 students at two southeastern state universities were recruited to complete an online survey containing 230 questions assessing sociodemographics, other substance use, and psychosocial factors. Of students invited to participate, 2,206 (22.1%) returned a completed survey. Past 30-day hookah use was found among 6.8% (n=141) of the sample. Binary logistic regression indicated that, after controlling for age, ethnicity, and highest parental education, hookah use was associated with being male (p<.001), being a nondaily or daily smoker versus a nonsmoker (p<.001), more frequent alcohol consumption (p<.001), greater sensation seeking (p<.001), lower levels of conscientiousness (p<.001), and greater openness to experiences (p=.01). Understanding the psychological and personality profiles of hookah users may allow public health practitioners and health care providers to identify high-risk individuals and design targeted interventions addressing users and those at risk for use.

Changes in Sensation Seeking and Risk‐Taking Propensity Predict Increases in Alcohol Use Among Early Adolescents

Conceptual models implicating disinhibitory traits often are applied to understanding emergent alcohol use, but, little is known of how inter-individual changes in these constructs relate to increases in alcohol use in early adolescence. The current study utilized behavioral and self-report instruments to capture the disinhibitory-based constructs of sensation seeking and risk-taking propensity to examine if increases in these constructs over time related to increases in early adolescent alcohol use. Participants included a community sample of 257 early adolescents (aged 9 to 12) who completed a self-report measure of sensation seeking, a behavioral task assessing risk-taking propensity, and a self-report of past year alcohol use, at 3 annual assessment waves. Both sensation seeking and risk-taking propensity demonstrated significant increases over time, with additional evidence that change in the behavioral measure of risk-taking propensity was not because of practice effects. Greater sensation seeking and greater risk-taking propensity demonstrated concurrent relationships with past year alcohol use at each assessment wave. Prospective analyses indicated that after accounting for initial levels of alcohol use, sensation seeking, and risk-taking propensity at the first assessment wave, larger increases in both constructs predicted greater odds of alcohol use at subsequent assessment waves. Results indicate the role of individual changes in disinhibitory traits in initial alcohol use in early adolescents. Specifically, findings suggest it is not simply initial levels of sensation seeking and risk-taking propensity that contribute to subsequent alcohol use but in particular increases in each of these constructs that predict greater odds of use. Future work should continue to assess the development of sensation seeking and risk-taking propensity in early adolescence and target these constructs in interventions as a potential means to reduce adolescent alcohol use.

Peer Group Self-Identification in Samples of Russian and U.S. Adolescents

Most peer group self-identification research has been conducted in the United States. This article examined the generalizability of self-identified group name research among teens in Ufa, a city in the Russian Federation. A cross-sectional, anonymous collection of data on group self-identification, drug use, addiction concern, sensation seeking, and self-rated school performance was collected from 365 10th grade youth in Ufa and 965 10th grade youth in the United States. The results supported the existence of peer group self-identification by youth in both countries and, in general, replicated the findings that youth who self-identify as a High Risk Youth, are relatively likely to use drugs, show greater concern about becoming an addict, report a greater sensation seeking preference, higher levels of depression, and poorer school performance. Implications of these results are discussed.

Impulsivity-like traits and smoking behavior in college students

Recent research has deconstructed the concept of impulsivity by identifying five different traits that influence engagement in impulsive behaviors: positive urgency (tendency to act rashly in response to a positive mood), negative urgency (tendency to act rashly in response to a negative mood), sensation seeking, lack of planning, and lack of perseverance. The traits are only moderately related to each other. The aim of this study was to apply this advance to the study of smoking. We tested a two-stage hypothesis: Higher sensation seeking was hypothesized to differentiate current smokers from non-smokers, and negative and positive urgencies were expected to predict concurrent level of nicotine dependence among smokers. As anticipated, greater sensation seeking was associated with a higher odds of being a current smoker (odds ratio = 1.51). Greater positive urgency, but not other impulsivity-related traits, was associated with significantly higher levels of nicotine dependence, explaining 29% of the variance in level of nicotine dependence.

The disinterested play of thought: Individual differences and preference for surrealist motion pictures

Previous studies that have examined the association between aesthetic preferences and individual difference variables have relied on static artistic compositions. In contrast, the present study examined the individual difference antecedents of preferences for surrealist motion pictures. A total of 240 participants rated ten clips of surrealist film for liking and familiarity, and completed measures of the Big Five personality factors, sensation seeking, and ambiguity tolerance. Results of a multiple regression showed that, controlling for familiarity, greater preference for surrealist motion pictures was significantly associated with higher Openness to Experience, greater sensation seeking, and greater ambiguity tolerance. Limitations of the current study are highlighted and results are discussed in relation to previous work on aesthetic preferences.

Risky Sexual Behavior in Gay and Bisexual Men

This study investigated risky sexual behavior in a sample of 209 gay and bisexual men. Using structural equation modeling, the mediating relations of substance use factors (expectations about the sexually enhancing effects of substance use and substance use during sex) between internalized heterosexism (IH) and sensation seeking and unprotected anal intercourse were examined. Expectations that substance use would enhance sexual activity mediated the relationship between IH and risky sexual behavior. Both substance use factors mediated the relationship of sensation seeking to risky sexual behavior. Greater sensation seeking was associated with greater expectations about the sexually enhancing effects of substances, which in turn was associated with greater unprotected anal intercourse. Unexpectedly, less sensation seeking was related to more substance use during sex, which in turn was associated with more risky sexual behavior. Overall, the variables in the model accounted for 66% of the variance in sexual behavior.

Gestión de la vida recreativa: ¿Un factor de riesgo determinante en el uso reciente de drogas?

El objetivo es describir los hábitos recreativos, uso de drogas y conductas de riesgo entre jóvenes que salen de noche durante los fines de semana, y estimar la relevancia predictiva de la vida recreativa sobre el uso de drogas legales o ilegales, teniendo en cuenta otros factores de riesgo individuales. La muestra incluye 1340 jóvenes entrevistados en cinco ciudades españolas. Casi todos abusan del tabaco y alcohol. Se ha dividido la muestra en los que consumieron (775; 58%) o no alguna droga ilegal recientemente (565; 42%). El uso de drogas ilegales aparece asociado con diversas características personales: inicio más temprano en el consumo de cannabis y alcohol, sexo masculino, menor percepción del riesgo en el uso de drogas, mayor búsqueda de sensaciones y mayor implicación en conductas – problema y desviadas socialmente. Los consumidores de drogas ilegales se distinguen también en sus hábitos recreativos (salen más, buscan contextos con mayor disponibilidad de drogas, tienen distintas motivaciones para salir). Un análisis multivariante clasificó correctamente casi cuatro de cada cinco sujetos no-consumidores o consumidores de drogas ilegales. Entre los factores estudiados, los relacionados con la vida recreativa fueron los mejores predictores del uso de drogas. Se desprende de estos datos la necesidad de estudiar en profundidad la vida recreativa de los jóvenes e integrar el contexto recreativo en los objetivos de la prevención del uso y abuso de drogas.