Longitudinal trajectories of sensation seeking, risk taking propensity, and impulsivity across early to middle adolescence

Abstract

Adolescent substance use and abuse show associations with increases in disinhibitory constructs, including sensation seeking, risk taking propensity, and impulsivity. However, the longitudinal trajectories of these constructs from early to middle adolescence remain largely unknown. Thus, the current study examined these developmental trajectories in 277 adolescents (Mage = 11.00 at Wave 1), over five consecutive yearly waves. Controlling for age, Hierarchical Linear Modeling analyses showed that sensation seeking increased linearly, whereas risk taking propensity and impulsivity demonstrated curvilinear changes. Specifically, risk taking propensity increased in the first four waves of assessment but did not evidence changes at the last assessment wave. Impulsivity, on the other hand peaked at wave four before subsequently declining. A comparison between females and males and Black and White adolescents suggested that these groups’ trajectories were similar. Black adolescents’ sensation seeking trajectory differed from adolescents who belonged to the “Other” racial group (i.e., adolescents who neither self-identified as Black or White). Generally, the study findings replicate and extend earlier work indicating that these risk factors increase across early adolescence and begin to level-off during middle adolescence. The importance of understanding the natural course of these core constructs is of great importance for directing future relevant prevention and intervention work.

Impulsive Personality, Parental Monitoring, and Alcohol Outcomes From Adolescence Through Young Adulthood

“…High sensation-seeking youth may be more drawn to contexts where drinking occurs and seek out the short-term physical sensations associated with drinking [5,13,21]. The association between sensation seeking and HED may be greatest during mid-late adolescence when sensation seeking peaks [11,12] and when drinking is more novel. Youth low on perseverance are highly susceptible to boredom, have a limited sense of responsibility, and are unmotivated to succeed in work or school [21].…”

“…Historically, personality traits were thought to be relatively stable [10], but research suggests that these constructs change over time [4,6,11,12]. Specifically, sensation seeking and impulsivity tend to peak during early-mid adolescence, then level off or decline [12,13].…”

Social status strategy in early adolescent girls: Testosterone and value-based decision making

“…Neurodevelopmental changes occurring at puberty, including increased levels of gonadal hormones and dopaminergic reorganization, are thought to be strongly related to increases in risk taking in adolescence (Collado et al, 2014;Peper and Dahl, 2013). These hormonal and neural changes influence arousal, motivation, and emotion, resulting in a developmental period of particular vulnerability to sensation seeking and risk-taking behaviors (Forbes and Dahl, 2012).…”

“…Puberty -the transition from childhood into adolescence -has been identified as a key maturational window of increased risk taking (Collado et al, 2014;Spielberg et al, 2014). Although several interacting theories seek to explain the ways in which pubertal development contributes to risk behavior, research in this area is in its early stages.…”

Impulsividad y búsqueda de sensaciones como predictores del consumo de drogas en adolescentes: Un estudio longitudinal

“…Ambos se desarrollan en la niñez y hasta la adolescencia (Collado, Felton, MacPherson, & Lejuez, 2014;Romer & Hennessy, 2007), por lo que era esperable encontrar un aumento en los primeros años de esta etapa. En relación a la evaluación de impulsividad, se observa que los que declaran consumir alguna de las tres sustancias obtuvieron mayores puntuaciones un año antes.…”