Yusuf SEYMEN, Özcan UZUN
Klinik Psikiyatri Dergisi - 2026;29(1):8-18
Objective: Sensation seeking is defined as the pursuit of varied, novel, complex, and intense experiences, accompanied by a willingness to take physical, social, legal, and financial risks to attain such experiences. The present study aims to examine the relationship between sensation seeking behavior and both the dimensions of psychopathology and clinical features in individuals diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). Method: The study included 60 individuals diagnosed with ASPD according to DSM-5 criteria and 60 healthy controls. The level of sensation seeking was evaluated using the Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS). Clinical Reflections were assessed using the Novelty Seeking subscale of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-NS), the Addiction Profile Index (API) and its Clinical Form (API-C), and the Criminal Thinking Scale (CTS). Data were statistically analyzed using appropriate methods. Results: The ASPD group showed significantly higher scores than the control group in the SSS subdimensions of disinhibition, experience seeking, boredom susceptibility, and total score. Additionally, in the ASPD group, the total SSS score was positively correlated with the total TCI-NS (novelty seeking) score, the total API (addiction severity) score, the API-C novelty seeking subscale score, and the entitlement and power orientation subscales of the CTS. Furthermore, the boredom susceptibility subscale of the SSS showed a positive correlation with the number of suicide attempts. Discussion: In individuals with antisocial personality disorder, sensation seeking behavior is positively associated with the number of suicide attempts, novelty seeking, severity of addiction, and criminal thinking patterns. These findings highlight the importance of considering sensation seeking in the clinical assessment of ASPD.
