Sensation seeking as a predictor of positive and negative risk behaviour among adolescents

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00061-1Get rights and content

Abstract

The present paper examines the relationship between sensation seeking and risk-taking behaviour among adolescents. Risk behaviour is defined as positive risk behaviour (activities like climbing, kayaking, rafting etc.) and negative risk behaviour (crime and socially unacceptable activities like shoplifting, drug use etc.) Perceived challenges and influences from school, parents, friends and social background are examined as contributing factors. Three hundred and sixty adolescents between 12 and 16 years of age from a school in Trondheim, Norway, answered the tests. The test consisted of My Opinion II, a Swedish version of the sensation seeking scale, which measures sensation seeking among adolescents around the age of 14. Three other questionnaires developed especially for this study were also used; one measuring risk behaviour, one measuring challenges from school, parents and friends, and one measuring social background. The results indicate a strong relationship between sensation seeking and both types of risk behaviour. Negative risk behaviour correlates negatively with challenges from both school and parents, and a similar relationship exists between negative risk behaviour and social background. It seems that few challenges and a poor social background could result in more negative risk behaviour.

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to see whether there is reason to believe that risk sports could prevent problem behaviour and juvenile delinquency. Earlier research indicates that risk activities and adventure programs are successful methods in rehabilitation of criminals and drug abusers (Durgin & McEwen, 1993). Interviews of criminals have shown that criminal behaviour is an alternative when there is a lack of opportunity to do exciting and thrilling activities (Robertson, 1994). Since risk sports are often used in rehabilitation, it would be interesting to try such interventions at an earlier point of time in the delinquent’s life. This could possibly prevent him or her from entering the criminal path.

The personality trait sensation seeking (Zuckerman, Kolin, Price & Zoob, 1964) characterises people who have a tendency to seek strong sensations and experiences by taking different kinds of risks. The various versions of the sensation seeking scale (SSS) measure this trait, and several former studies demonstrate that both participants in high risk sports and criminals get a high score on this scale (Zuckerman et al., 1972, Zuckerman, 1994).

In this study, a sensation seeking scale developed by Björck-Åkesson (1990) has been used along with measures of participation in different types of risk behaviour, challenges in the social environment and social background. The respondents were adolescents, 12–16 years of age. Our first objective was to look at the relationship between sensation seeking and participation in different kinds of risk behaviour. The second objective was to examine the respondents’ own experiences of challenges in the environment, and to see if there is a relationship between experience of challenges and the kind of risk behaviour they engage in.

Section snippets

Sensation seeking

The theoretical basis for the present study has been Zuckerman’s sensation seeking theory (Zuckerman, 1979, Zuckerman, 1994). His definition (1994) serves as an effective basis also for a study of adolescents: “Sensation seeking is a trait defined by the seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense situations and experiences, and the willingness to take physical, social, and financial risks for the sake of such experience” (Zuckerman, 1994). The study was designed to determine how adolescents

Subjects

The respondents in this study were pupils at a large school in Trondheim, Norway. Not all students were in attendance. Six pupils did not finish the questionnaire, while 360 completed all the scales. They were pupils from 16 classes on the 7th, 8th and 9th grade levels. Their ages were from 12 to 16. The mean was 13.8 years. The respondents were 184 boys (51.1%) and 172 girls (48.9%). 58.4% of the respondents lived in the centre or close to the centre of the town, while 40.6% lived outside the

Sensation seeking

The total sensation seeking scores of the respondents showed a normal distribution pattern, with a mean of 88.5. The highest possible score is 112 and the lowest is 56. Most of the respondents scored somewhere between 75 and 100. The sub-scales showed a similar distribution.

T-tests (Table 1) indicated that there were some weak, but still significant differences between boys and girls. Girls scored higher than boys on new experiences and outgoingness, while boys scored higher than girls on

Discussion

In the discussion of the results a comparison will be made with results from other studies where Zuckerman’s sensation seeking scale, form V and other version have been used. Since My Opinion II, which was used in this study, has a different factor structure and other subscales, than the Zuckerman scales, this study’s results should be compared to other studies with some care. On the other hand the Opinion II was developed from Zuckerman’s scales with the intention of measuring the same

Conclusions

The study found sex differences in sensation seeking, although the differences were not similar to those found in earlier studies with Zuckerman’s sensation seeking scales. Earlier research with these scales showed that men were higher on sensation seeking than women were. In this study girls are higher than boys on new experience seeking and outgoingness, and boys are higher than girls on thrill and adventure seeking. There is no sex difference on total sensation seeking. Sensation seeking is

References (21)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (125)

  • Adolescents take positive risks, too

    2021, Developmental Review
    Citation Excerpt :

    For example, adolescents endorsing alcohol use (Veliz et al., 2015) and delinquency (Rutten et al., 2007) are also involved in constructive activities such as team sports (Barber et al., 2001) and performing arts (Wood et al., 2013). Findings using composite scores of positive and negative risk taking (as opposed to studying individual risk behaviors) have found similar results (Duell & Steinberg, 2020; Fischer & Smith, 2004; Hansen & Breivik, 2001), suggesting that the association between negative and positive risk taking is not limited to specific behaviors. Rather, adolescents are, in general, endorsing both types of risks simultaneously (Dworkin, 2005).

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text