The relationship between cognitive distortions, impulsivity, and sensation seeking in a non-clinical population sample

This paper examines the relationship between cognitive distortions, impulsivity and sensation seeking. It has been suggested that individuals with psychological problems have a tendency to make negative interpretations and dysfunctional predictions of events. It remains unclear how impulsive individuals interpret the situations that may contribute to their unplanned, rapid reactions with disregard to the consequences of behaviour. A battery of self-report scales measuring cognitive distortions (Cognitive Distortion Scale), impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11), sensation seeking (Sensation Seeking Scale form-V), depression (Beck Depression Inventory),and anxiety (Beck Depression Inventory) was administered to a sample of 100 normal people, mainly undergraduate students to examine this. Individuals with high impulsivity had significantly higher levels of dysfunctional cognitions and sensation seeking. Multiple regression analysis showed that only impulsivity and age factors were significant predictors of cognitive distortions, with impulsivity positively correlated, and age negatively correlated, with cognitive distortions. These findings have clinical implications suggesting that cognitive-behavioural interventions targeting information processing characterized by specific cognitive distortions may help people with high levels of impulsivity regulate their behaviour and emotions more effectively, thereby increasing self-control.