Universitas Indonesia Conferences, International Conference on Intervention and Applied Psychology (ICIAP) 2018

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The Relationship between Boredom Proneness and Sensation Seeking among Adolescent and Adult Former Drug Users
Safira Putri Nabilla

Last modified: 2018-08-10

Abstract


Abstrak

This study examines the relationship between boredom proneness and sensation seeking among adolescent and adult former drug users. Participants in this study were 68 male (adolescents 16-25 years old as many as 32 participants and adults 30-59 years old as many as 36 participants). Participants are former drug users who are in rehabilitation at Balai Besar Rehabilitasi Badan Narkotika Nasional. This study is a quantitative research with correlational design. The results of the study found that there is a positive and significant relationship between boredom proneness and sensation seeking among former drug users. So that the conclusion from that study result is the higher level of boredom proneness will be followed by the higher level of sensation seeking, and also the otherwise. Then, it is also known from the results of this study that the relationship between boredom proneness and sensation seeking showed a positive and significant results in adolescent participants, but not significant in adult participants. Beside that, adolescent participants report high category of sensation seeking and adults report low category of sensation seeking

INTRODUCTION

In 2009, the Prevalence of drug abuse in Indonesia based on national narcotics agency, Badan Narkotika Nasional (BNN) was 1.99 percent of Indonesians or about 3.6 millions people who were 10-59 years old. Then, in 2010, the prevalence increased become 2.21 percent or about 4.02 millions people. Furthermore, it increased become 2.8 percent or about 5 millions in 2011 (Kistyarini, 2011). in 2017, BNN revealed that almost 6 people in Indonesia had dependence on drugs (Mudassir, 2017).

Zuckerman (2007) explains that there are three types of motivation that can encourage individual to use prohibited substances. Those motivations are curiosity, to get pleasure, and to relieve the pain. Furthermore, Zukerman also explains (2007) that curiosity and pleasure have associations toward behavior to look for sensation or it is called sensation seeking behavior. Sensation seeking has been defined by Zukerman (1994), it is the character defined as looking for pleasure and variate, strange, new complex and intense experience and willingness to get risk in physic, social, law and finance to get that experience. In addition, Arnett (1994) who also develops sensation seeking concept explains that sensation seeking can be considered as dependence or potential to express in many ways depending  on each personal of individuals, especially depends on ow the social environment to direct, form and emphasize the tendency.

In other previous research, Samuels and Samuels (1974) confirmed in their research about other factors that can encourage adolescents to use narcotics. It is boring experience that can become one of individual motifs to use narcotics. Farmer and Sundberg (1986) explain boring or it is called boredom is a general affective reaction felt by individual, marked by the lack of interest, so it automatically can appear sadness feeling in individual. Martin, Sadlo and Stew (2006) identify  that boredom can be cause by external factor (called the state of boredom) or internal (called the trait of boredom or boredom proneness). Then, previous researches above confirm that drug abuse is sensation seeking behavior (Zukerman, 2007) and it can be motivated by boredom (Samuels & Samuels, 1974). Other than that, Boden (2009) in his review about boredom proneness and impulsive behavior proposes boredom proneness as factor that is predicted to have relation between sensation seeking behavior. Boden (2009) also explains that boredom phenomenon is usually followed by maladaptive sensation seeking behavior.

Based on that explanation, the researcher conducts this research that aims to find out the relationship between boredom proneness and sensation seeking among adolescents and adults former drug users in Badan Narkotika Nasional (BNN) Rehabilitation Center. Sensation seeking would be measured by an instrument of sensation seeking developed by Arnett, which is Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking (AISS), and it would be examined the correlation toward boredom proneness. Boredom proneness was measured by an instrument named Short Boredom Proneness Scale (SBPS) adapted by Struk, Carriere, Cheyne and Danckert (2017) from measuring instrument of Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS) which was developed by Farmer and Sundberg (1986). In addition, this research was important as the effort to find out deeper about factors that perhaps relate to sensation seeking toward drug abuse. Then, this research can be useful to formulate solution, prevention or intervention from maladaptive sensation seeking behavior according to revealed sensation seeking, or can give knowledge for people to know, anticipate and overcome boredom anytime in any situaton.

 

REFERENCE

Arnett, J. (1994). Sensation seeking: a new conceptualization and a new scale. Personality and individual differences, 16(2), 289–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(94)90165-1

Boden, J. (2009). CHAPTER 9: The devil inside: Boredom proneness and impulsive behaviour. Critical Studies, 31, 203-227. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/757364397?accountid=17242

Farmer, R., & Sundberg, N. D. (1986). Boredom proneness--the development and correlates of a new scale. Journal of personality assessment, 50(1), 4-17. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5001_2

Kistyarini, (2011, Juni). BNN: 5 Juta Pengguna Narkoba di Indonesia, 5-7. Kompas. http://nasional.kompas.com/read/2011/06/26/11242461/BNN.5.Juta.Pengguna.Narkoba.di.Indonesia, retrieved on Sunday, 18 Februari 2018, 16:02 WIB.

Martin, M., Sadlo, G., & Stew, G. (2006). The phenomenon of boredom. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(3), 193-211.

Mudassir, R. (2017, Juli). Mencengangkan! Pecandu Narkoba di Indonesia Tembus 6 Juta Orang. Okezone. https://news.okezone.com/read/2017/07/20/337/1740743/mencengangkan-pecandu-narkoba-di-indonesia-tembus-6-juta-orang, retrieved on Saturday, 10 Februari 2018, 17:08 WIB.

Samuels, D. J., & Samuels, M. (1974). Low self-concept as a cause of drug abuse. Journal of Drug Education, 4, 421-438.

Struk, A. A., Carriere, J. S., Cheyne, J. A., & Danckert, J. (2017). A short Boredom Proneness Scale: development and psychometric properties. Assessment, 24(3), 346-359.

Zuckerman, M. (1994). Behavioral Expressions and Biosocial Bases of Sensation seeking. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Zuckerman, M. (2007). Sensation Seeking and Risky Behavior. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

 


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