Abstract
The relationship between subjective invulnerability and optimism bias in risk appraisal, and their comparative association with indices of risk activity, substance use and college adjustment problems was assessed in a sample of 350 (M age = 20.17; 73% female; 93% White/European American) emerging adults. Subjective invulnerability was measured with the newly devised adolescent invulnerability scale (AIS). Optimism bias in decision-making was assessed with a standard comparative-conditional risk appraisal task. Results showed that the danger- and psychological invulnerability subscales of the AIS demonstrated strong internal consistency and evidence of predictive validity. Subjective invulnerability and optimism bias were also shown to be empirically distinct constructs with differential ability to predict risk and adjustment. Danger invulnerability and psychological invulnerability were more pervasively associated with risk behavior than was optimism bias; and psychological invulnerability counter-indicated depression, self-esteem and interpersonal problems. Results support recent claims regarding the “two faces” of adolescent invulnerability. Implications for future research are drawn.
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Appendix: Adolescent Invulnerability Scale
Appendix: Adolescent Invulnerability Scale
How well do the following statements describe you? Rate each statement using the following scale.
Strongly disagree | Disagree | Neutral | Agree | Strongly agree | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
1. | I’m unlikely to be injured in an accident | ||||
2. | My feelings don’t get hurt | ||||
3. | Nothing bad will happen to me when I go to a place by myself | ||||
4. | Nothing seems to bother me | ||||
5. | There are times when I think I am indestructible | ||||
6. | I could probably drink and drive without getting into an accident | ||||
7. | My feelings are easily hurt | ||||
8. | I’m unlikely to get hurt if I did a dangerous thing | ||||
9. | I’m a fragile person | ||||
10. | Special problems, like getting an illness or disease, are not likely to happen to me | ||||
11. | Nothing can harm me | ||||
12. | The problems that happen to people my age are unlikely to happen to me | ||||
13. | The opinions of other people just don’t bother me | ||||
14. | What people say about me has no effect on me at all | ||||
15. | Driving very fast wouldn’t be dangerous if I were driving | ||||
16. | I feel very badly when I know there is gossip about me | ||||
17. | Taking safety precautions is far more important for other people than it is for me | ||||
18. | Safety rules do not apply to me | ||||
19. | It is just impossible for people to hurt my feelings | ||||
20. | It is not necessary for me to worry about being injured or harmed | ||||
AIS scoring | |||||
Reverse score: # 7, 9, and 16 | |||||
Danger invulnerability: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 20 | |||||
Psychological invulnerability: 2, 4, 7, 9, 13, 14, 16, 19 | |||||
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Lapsley, D.K., Hill, P.L. Subjective Invulnerability, Optimism Bias and Adjustment in Emerging Adulthood. J Youth Adolescence 39, 847–857 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9409-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9409-9