Research demonstrates that impulsivity and sensation seeking relate differentially to adolescent externalizing problems. Generally, studies show that impulsivity is a predictor of hyperactive–inattentive symptoms (indeed, impulsivity is a core symptom of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) [34–36], conduct problems, and substance use, over and above sensation seeking [35–39]. On the other hand, sensation seeking appears to have more specificity in predicting externalizing problems. Over and above impulsivity, sensation seeking does not uniquely predict hyperactive–inattentive symptoms [35–37], has relatively weak or no associations with conduct problems [34, 35, 38–40], but remains uniquely associated with adolescent and adult substance use [35, 37, 39, 40].
