Validity and Reliability of the Italian Version of the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS) and its Invariance across Age and Gender

Hoyle, Stephenson, Palmgreen, Lorch, and Donohew (2002) developed the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS) selecting eight items of the Zuckerman, Kolin, Price, and Zoob's (1964) Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS-V). The aim of the present paper was the validation of the Italian version of the BSSS. The scale was administered to 990 high school students. The BSSS resulted unidimensional, in line with the original scale, and invariant across gender and age. The reliability of the scale was adequate, and criterion validity measures considering the relation between BSSS scores and gambling behavior indices were provided. The overall findings of the present study offer evidences that the Italian version of the BSSS is a reliable and valid instrument to assess sensation seeking in a short time frame.