Smartphone Abuse Amongst Adolescents: The Role of Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking

Adolescence is the stage of development where the reward and emotional regulation systems are yet to be adjusted and where most excessive behaviors start, like smartphone abuse. In addition, in this evolutionary period adolescents are more susceptible to behavioral changes through specific interventions or educational programs. Thus, it is fundamental to analyze the personality profile of those adolescents showing excessive mobile phone usage to properly approach later prevention strategies. Impulsivity is one of the most repeated variables associated with teenage addictions, although it has been observed that not all impulsive behaviors need to be detrimental. The aim of this study is to analyze how impulsivity affects smartphone addiction directly, but also indirectly, by assessing its association with sensation seeking variables (thrill and adventure seeking, experience seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility) which are in turn decisive when using these technologies improperly. The sample was made up of 614 adolescents aged 13–18 attending secondary education from Burgos, Spain. Dickman Impulsivity Inventory, Sensation Seeking Scale, and Ad-hoc questionnaire on adolescent self-perception as to smartphone use were applied. Results show that 41.4% of participants admit to abusing smartphones sometimes, while 18.3% admit to abusing them more frequently and 24% to, at least ever, having defined themselves as smartphone addicts. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that gender (female), dysfunctional impulsivity and sensation seeking (disinhibition and thrill and adventure seeking) evidence 15.7% of variance in smartphone abuse. In addition, sensation seeking (thrill and adventure seeking, disinhibition, and boredom susceptibility) were found to mediate the relationship between dysfunctional impulsivity and smartphone abuse. Therefore, dysfunctional impulsivity was directly connected with teenage smartphone abuse, but also had an indirect stronger association through thrill and adventure seeking, disinhibition and boredom susceptibility.

Dipendenza da Internet e sensation seeking negli adolescenti: uno studio descrittivo

Gli obiettivi di questo studio erano di valutare il grado di dipendenza da internet nella po-polazione adolescente e la relazione esistente tra questo costrutto e la ricerca di sensazioni forti. Lo studio ha coinvolto 155 adolescenti frequentanti dei Centri di Aggregazione Giovanile di Brescia che hanno compilato il questionario sull'uso, abuso e dipendenza da internet (UA-DI-2) e la Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS). I risultati hanno dimostrato che un sempre crescente numero di adolescenti, senza differen-ze di genere, abusa degli strumenti informatici o ne è dipendente per un tempo sempre maggio-re nell'arco della giornata e si è confermata la correlazione con le dimensioni della sensation seeking riferite alla suscettibilità alla noia e alla disinibizione. Sono necessari ulteriori studi per identificare quali fattori influenzano l'elevata variabilità circa il tempo di connessione e le modificazioni legate ad un uso massivo dei device durante l'emergenza Covid-19. Questi studi sono molto rilevanti al fine di promuovere efficaci piani di promozione ed educazione all'utilizzo degli strumenti informatici, che coinvolgano bambini e adolescenti e i loro genitori.

Study of the economic behavior of an individual: correlation between psychological characteristics and monetary attitudes

The subject of this research is the monetary attitudes (financial prudence, money worship, money as socioeconomic status, money anxiety) and monetary relations (attitude to money, representations of monetary behavior). The goal of this article is to examine the specificity of monetary attitudes of an individual, and trace their correlation with psychological characteristics of an individual (risk tolerance and resilience). The research involves 371 respondents, median age of 34.5 years. Research methodology is based on the following instruments: “Scale of Monetary Attitudes” adapted by D. A. Bayazitova and T. A. Lapshova; “Reselience Test  adapted by E. N. Osin and E. I. Rasskazova; “Diagnostics of the Level of Individual Readiness for Risk” adapted by E. P. Ilyin; Zuckerman Sensation-Seeking Scale; essay “My Monetary Behavior”. As a result of the conducted research, description is given to the concept of “monetary behavior”, characteristics of value-semantic attitude towards money of the respondents, and the level of risk behavior in monetary terms. It is established that risky consumer behavior of a person implies the tendency to making “uncontrolled” purchases in the context of systematic money scarcity and pattern of debt (credit) behavior. The author determines that high value of monetary resource is negatively interrelated with the resilience indicators. It is demonstrated that such monetary attitudes as “excessive prudence”, “money worship”, “money anxiety”, “strive for higher socioeconomic status " are accompanied by self-doubt and disbelief in oneself in the situations of risk and uncertainty.

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

Purpose The 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. Methods Finnish 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. Results Alcohol 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. Conclusion Sensation 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 evidence Level III, well-designed cohort study.

Sexting: Emotional promiscuity and sexual sensation seeking in Pakistani young adults

The previous studies found sexting to be an established phenomenon in young adults. This study is aimed to predict sexting from emotional promiscuity and sexual sensation seeking in young adults and to assess the role of age and sex in relationship among sexting, emotional promiscuity, and sexual sensation seeking. 201 undergraduate students of both sexes are recruited from the main campus of The Islamia University of Bahawalpur with age range of 18-30 years. Three scales Brief Sexting Scale, Emotional Promiscuity Scale and Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale are administered to collect the data. All the participants were required to sign the essential informed consent before participation. The data were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25. There has been found a statistically significant positive relationship among sexting, emotional promiscuity and sexual sensation seeking. The sexual sensation seeking significantly predicted sexting. The women are found significantly higher on sexting and sexual sensation seeking. There has been found no age differences in sexting, emotional promiscuity and sexual sensation seeking. It has been concluded that the sexual sensation seeking significantly predicted sexting in university students.

Evaluation der Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale: Ergebnisse einer repräsentativen deutschen Bevölkerungsumfrage

ZusammenfassungBisherige Studien zu Sexual Sensation Seeking (SSS) und der Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale (SSSS) wurden überwiegend an nach dem Alter sowie dem Geschlecht selektierten Stichproben durchgeführt. In dieser Arbeit wurde die deutsche Version der SSSS anhand einer repräsentativen Umfrage an Männern und Frauen evaluiert, welche die gesamte Altersspanne der erwachsenen deutschen Bevölkerung umfasst. Die Gütekriterien und die Faktorenstruktur der deutschen Version der Sexual Sensation Seeking Scale wurden anhand einer repräsentativen Stichprobe von N=2420 Probanden (54% Frauen, 46% Männer) im Alter von 18–93 Jahren (M=50,44, SD=16,97) untersucht. Die SSSS zeigt gute Werte hinsichtlich der internen Konsistenz der Skala (α=0,91). Korrelationen mit Außenkriterien (Need Inventory of Sensation Seeking: r=0,56; Sexual Compulsivity Scale: r=0,68; p < 0,001 für beide Vergleiche) deuten auf konvergente Validität hin. Alters- und geschlechtsspezifische Effekte in erwarteter Richtung stützen die Konstruktvalidität: Männer erzielten über alle Altersklassen hinweg höhere Werte. Die Werte waren von der jüngsten bis zur höchsten Altersklasse für beide Geschlechter abnehmend. Die eindimensionale Struktur der Skala ließ sich faktorenanalytisch (EFA) nicht eindeutig bestätigen. Die SSSS erwies sich als zuverlässiges Verfahren zur Messung von SSS in der deutschen Bevölkerung. Sexual Sensation Seeking sollte perspektivisch nicht nur als Risikofaktor eingestuft, sondern auch ressourcenorientiert als positiver Prädiktor für Sexualität in die Forschungen eingebunden werden.

Sensation seeking scale - results of a teacher research.

The study presented here and its results form part of the research among the students of the Faculty of Teacher Education of J. Selye University, which focuses on the study of the causes and background of a dropout. Data collection is performed partly by standardized tests, questionnaires, and partly by self-developed tests. What has been achieved and received so far is pointing out students ’fears and expectations about university life. In the 2019/2020 academic year, we expanded our measurement tools with the Sensation Seeking Scale. A total of 161 teacher candidates were enrolled in this study (full-time 117, 44 correspondents). The questionnaire analyzes the student opinions in 4 dimensions: 1) Thrill and Adventure seeking (SSS-TAS) - searching for fast and dangerous sports, activities, 2) Experience seeking (SSS-ES) - longing for a new, non-conforming lifestyle with senses or unique vitality, 3) Disinhibition (SSS-DIS) - in which the strongest factor is a dive into drug and sex adventures, and 4) Boredom Susceptibility (SSS-BS) - avoidance of repetition, routine and dull people, intolerance of the tension of invariance. In the present study, we focus on: 1. which dimensions belong to the most common search for experiences among students, and 2. whether there are outstanding differences in relation to each dimension. We do this in order to obtain additional information about the students ’personality profile, values, needs, expectations, and to achieve our objectives outlined above.