The Structural Model for Predicting Addiction Potential in Adolescent Boys Based on Sensation Seeking with the Mediation of Resilience

Abstract

Objective:  The objective of the present study was to predict addiction potential in adolescent boys based on sensation seeking, with the mediation of resilience.

Methods and Materials: The research method was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population included all 12-year-old male students from public schools in Tehran during the first and second semesters of the 2018-2019 academic year. A total of 300 students were selected through multi-stage random sampling. The research tools included the Sensation Seeking Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Adolescent Addiction Potential Scale. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and AMOS software.

Findings: The results showed that sensation seeking (β = 0.501, P = 0.001) positively and significantly predicted addiction potential in adolescents, while resilience (β = -0.246, P = 0.001) negatively and significantly predicted addiction potential in adolescents. Sensation seeking, through the mediation of resilience, predicted addiction potential in adolescents (β = 0.074, P = 0.010).

Conclusion: Sensation seeking, through the mediation of resilience, predicted addiction potential in adolescent boys. It is recommended that specialists implement educational and therapeutic programs aimed at enhancing resilience for sensation-seeking adolescents and youth in educational and university settings.