Psychometric properties and norms of a German version of the Sensation Seeking Scales, Form V

The Sensation Seeking Scales, Form V (SSS-V) are one of the most widely used inventories for the measurement of Sensation Seeking. However, low internal consistencies, as well as problems with the replication of the factor structure have been reported repeatedly, especially for the subscales Experience Seeking and Boredom Susceptibility. In comparison to alternative instruments, the SSS-V has the advantage of a more differentiated measurement of the construct. This is probably the reason why alternative instruments are not so widely used. On this background, the aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a German Version of the SSS-V, which has been permitted by Marvin Zuckerman, the development of norms, and optimized individual Sensation Seeking scores on the basis of factor scores. Therefore, 1526 Participants (823 female) aged between 16 and 68 years completed the SSS-V. The four-factor structure of the SSS-V could be confirmed in exploratory factor analysis of item pairs. B-weights for the calculation of factor scores as well as German norms are presented.