TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - Risk-taking propensity and sensation seeking in survivors of adverse childhood experiences
JO  - Journal of interpersonal violence
A1  - Babad, Sara
A1  - Zwilling, Amanda
A1  - Carson, Kaitlin Walsh
A1  - Fairchild, Victoria
A1  - Razak, Shanna
A1  - Robinson, Gabriella
A1  - Nikulina, Valentina
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - Risk-taking propensity and sensation seeking are developmentally meaningful traits for emerging adults, individuals ages 18 to 25 years. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) of childhood abuse and neglect, exposure to domestic violence, residing with a substance abusing or mentally ill caregiver, and growing up with an incarcerated family member negatively impact the well-being of emerging adults. However, the specific association between ACEs and risk-taking propensity and sensation seeking has not been previously examined in this age group. This study aims to determine whether ACEs are individually or cumulatively related to risk-taking propensity (assessed by the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking Scale) and sensation seeking (assessed by the Behavior Inhibition System/Behavior Approach System Scales) in a diverse sample of undergraduates, <i>n</i> = 436; <i>M</i><sub>age</sub> = 19.73 years (<i>SD</i> = 1.83 years); 67% female; 22% Hispanic. Multivariate ordinary least squares regressions were run to examine the association between ACEs and risk-taking propensity and sensation seeking. Individually, emotional abuse predicted greater inhibition (<i>B</i> =.28, <i>p</i> <.001), growing up with a mentally ill family member (<i>B</i> = -.12, <i>p</i> <.05) and emotional neglect (<i>B</i> = -.13, <i>p</i> <.05) predicted reduced motivation to pursue rewarding cues, and emotional neglect (<i>B</i> = -.12, <i>p</i> <.05) and witnessing domestic violence (<i>B</i> = -.10, <i>p</i> <.05) predicted less reward responsiveness. No cumulative effects were found. ACEs related to environmental instability may have a unique impact on sensation seeking domains in emerging adults. Clarifying the role of sensation seeking in emerging adults can contribute to better understanding of risk and resilience factors in this vulnerable population.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0886-2605
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260519876035
ID  - ref1
ER  -