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.