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Published on: March 17, 2019
Risk-taking Behaviour: The Role of Dark Triad Traits, Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking and Adverse Childhood Experience
Zana Babakr1, Nabi Fatahi1,2
1Faculty of Arts, Psychology Department, Soran University, Iraq.
Objective:
Dark Triad Traits, Adverse Childhood Experiences, impulsivity and sensation seeking significantly influence whether one engages in or avoids various risk behaviours and personality throughout life.
Objective:
The present study aimed to investigate how Dark Triad Traits, Adverse Childhood Experience and impulsivity sensation influence risk taking behaviour personality throughout life.
Methods:
The sample included 222 university students from four universities, 82 males (36.9%) and 140 females (63.1%), and aged between 18 and 51 years.
Results:
The results showed that adverse childhood experiences, psychopathy, narcissism, impulsivity and sensation-seeking predicted risk taking. Machiavellianism, on the other hand, did not significantly predict risk taking. Based on results, adverse childhood experiences predicted risk-taking directly and indirectly through psychopathy, narcissism, impulsivity and sensation seeking.
Conclusion:
The results indicate that early childhood experiences are a significant factor in personality traits and that positive early experiences could lead to minimising risk taking and reducing levels of impulsivity, sensation-seeking and dark triad traits.
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