Impulsiveness among Undergraduates from the United Arab Emirates and Jordan: Role of Socio-demographic Variables.

Abstract

Background: Some undergraduate students may appear impulsive in their behavior without taking enough time to think, and impulsiveness may vary according to gender, academic specialization, and academic level.

Objective: This study investigated the differences in impulsiveness between undergraduates of different gender, academic specializations, and academic years at three private universities in the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

Method: The research design of the study was a survey in nature. The researchers collected data online using a translated Arabic version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) as described in Patton et al..¹ A sample of 334 undergraduates was selected using the convenient non-probability sample technique.

Results: To analyze data, the researchers deployed descriptive and inferential statistics and found no significant differences between the students in the subscales of motor impulsiveness, non-planning, attentional impulsiveness, and the total scale score according to gender, academic specializations, and academic years variables.

Conclusion: The researchers concluded that undergraduates have a moderate level of impulsiveness; except for attentional impulsiveness, the results indicated that the average student's score on the subscale was low. Motor impulsiveness, non-planning impulsiveness, and attentional impulsiveness were not significantly different between males and females, academic specialization, academic year variables, and their interaction. The limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.