SENSATION SEEKING IN PSYCHIATRICALLY DISTURBED YOUTH - RELATIONSHIP TO BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

Objective: Relatively little research has been conducted on the relati onship of personality traits or behavioral tendencies with biological parameters in youth. This study was intended to determine whether rela tionships exist between self-reported sensation-seeking tendencies and biochemical parameters in boys. Method: Twenty-five male youth aged 8 to 15 years admitted to a residential diagnostic center because of no ncompliant, disruptive, and/or antisocial behavior were studied. Bioch emical parameters associated with sensation seeking in adults or antis ocial behavior were measured along with diagnoses, behavior ratings, a nd self-reported sensation seeking. Results: High sensation seeking, a s assessed bn a newly developed sensation-seeking scale for children, was inversely correlated with 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) l evels in the older youth (greater than or equal to 12.0 years) but not in the younger boys (<12.0 years) in the group. Elevations on the sen sation seeking scale also correlated marginally in these older youth w ith parent-reported problems on a behavior rating scale, reflecting '' delinquent'' behavioral tendencies. Conclusions: The findings support hypothesized noradrenergic dysregulation in some sensation-seeking per sons (including youth greater than or equal to 12.0 years) and the rel ationship between high sensation-seeking tendencies and antisocial or disruptive behavioral disorder.