Modeling Trajectories of Sensation Seeking and Impulsivity Dimensions from Early to Late Adolescence: Universal Trends or Distinct Sub-groups?

Abstract

Developmental imbalance models attribute the rise in risk-taking during adolescence to a universal imbalance between rising reward sensitivity and lagging cognitive control. This study tested predictions of an alternate Lifespan Wisdom Model that distinguishes between exploratory/adaptive (e.g., sensation seeking) and maladaptive (e.g., acting-without-thinking, delay discounting) risk-taking propensities and attributes the latter to a sub-set of youth with weak cognitive control. Latent trajectory modeling of six waves of data from 387 adolescents (52% females; spanning average ages of 11-18 years) revealed distinct sub-groups with heterogeneous trajectory patterns for acting-without-thinking and delay-discounting. Only those trajectory groups with weak cognitive control, characterized as "high-increasing" acting-without thinking and "high-stable" delay discounting were predictive of a maladaptive risk-taking outcome, namely substance use disorder. Sensation seeking demonstrated a universal peak, but high levels of sensation seeking were not associated with weakness in cognitive control and were unrelated to substance use disorder, controlling for impulsivity. The findings suggest that maladaptive risk-taking characterized by weak cognitive control over reward-driven impulses is a phenomenon limited to only a sub-set of youth.

Predictors of risky foraging behaviour in healthy young people

“…Reduced cautiousness in our task was linked to increased performance and thus may conceptually relate to adaptive risk-taking 7 where the latter has recently been suggested to be indexed by self-reported sensation-seeking 8 . Sensation seeking is viewed to peak around 16 years of age 8 , which is not the pattern we observe for cautious behaviour in our task. Impulsive risktaking, thought to be maladaptive 7 , might relate to task survival rates, but again we found no impact of age.…”

“…Yet, there is a debate in relation to the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms of youth risk taking and its predictors 6,7,8 . This is likely, at least in part, to reflect a relative lack of suitable laboratory tasks to measure behavioural risk-taking.…”

Tactics for Drawing Youth to Vaping: Content Analysis of Electronic Cigarette Advertisements

“…Using stunning sensory appeals, such as through graphical displays that emphasize the visual appeal of sleek technological designs, and the pleasurable taste and smell of e-cigarettes, the advertisements play to the sensation-seeking needs of youth. Adolescence is a period of psychosocial development where it is more likely that an individual will engage in sensation seeking than at other developmental stage [ 63 ]. Other researchers confirm that e-cigarette advertisements capitalize on this sensation-seeking behavior by emphasizing pleasurable sensations, such as flavors or odor produced by the e-juice [ 37 , 64 - 66 ].…”

A person-centered examination of emotion dysregulation, sensitivity to threat, and impulsivity among children and adolescents: An ERP study

“…There are several important constructs that may help differentiate youth who may be more likely to develop anxiety versus risk-taking problems. Previous research has found that heightened sensitivity to threat (heightened responsiveness to threat) is associated with anxiety ( Balle et al, 2013 ; Bar-Haim et al, 2007 ; Johnson et al, 2003 ; Katz et al, 2020 ; Pérez-Edgar et al, 2010 , 2011 ), while impulsivity (non-reflective stimulus-driven response; Nigg, 2017 ) has been found to be associated with risk taking ( Khurana et al, 2018 ; Romer et al, 2009 ). At the same time, both risk taking ( Leith and Baumeister, 1996 ; Tull et al, 2012 ; Weiss et al, 2015 ) and anxiety ( Cisler and Olatunji, 2012 ; Hannesdottir and Ollendick, 2007 ; Jazaieri et al, 2015 ; Mennin et al, 2009 ; Neumann et al, 2010 ; Suveg and Zeman, 2004 ; Tortella-Feliu et al, 2010 ) have been linked to emotion dysregulation (poor control over emotions).…”