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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1995

Effects of instruction type and boredom proneness in vigilance: implications for boredom and workload.

The present study examined the effects of instruction type and boredom proneness (BP) on vigilance performance, workload, and boredom. Subjects completed the Boredom Proneness Scale and were assigned to high and low groups based on their scores. They then monitored a VDT for critical signals. Half the subjects were instructed to detect "critical" flickers (detection emphasis), and the remaining subjects were instructed to relax but to respond to any flickers observed (relaxation emphasis). Subjects also provided pre- and postvigil ratings of workload, stress, and boredom. A performance decrement was observed for all conditions. Low-BP subjects outperformed high-BP subjects and reported less boredom. Thus the results from the present study provide evidence for the long-sought, elusive link between trait boredom and performance in vigilance. In addition, subjects who received relaxation-emphasis instructions reported lower workload, frustration, and stress for the vigil than did those receiving detection-emphasis instructions. These results are discussed in terms of a recent dynamic model of stress as it relates to sustained attention.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Initial validation of a scale to measure purposelessness, understimulation, and boredom in cancer patients: toward a redefinition of depression in advanced disease.

OBJECTIVE: The problem of boredom in people with cancer has received little research attention, and yet clinical experience suggests that it has the potential to profoundly affect quality of life in those patients. We were interested in developing a Purposelessness, Understimulation, and Boredom (PUB) Scale to identify this problem and to begin to differentiate it from depression. METHODS: Cancer patients and professionals were interviewed using a semi-structured format to elicit their perceptions of the incidence, causes, scope, and consequences of boredom. From their responses, 45 questions were developed, edited for clarity, and piloted. A total of 100 cancer patients were recruited to participate in the study. Preliminary validation of the PUB using a cross-sectional survey of the measure was conducted. Other instruments used for purposes of convergent and divergent validity included the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale-Anemia, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, Boredom Proneness Scale, Leisure Boredom Scale, Cancer Behavior Inventory, Systems of Belief Inventory, and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status Scale. RESULTS: The average age of the sample was 62.37 years (SD = 13.43) and was comprised of 60 women (60.00%) and 40 men (40.00%). The results of a factor analysis on the 45 initial items (selected on the basis of professional and patient interviews) created a two-factor scale. The eight items from the strongest factor (items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10) seemed to best tap the construct that could be deemed as overt boredom whereas the six items of the second factor (items 36, 38, 39, 42, 44, 45) seemed to tap the construct of boredom related to meaning and spirituality. Total scale internal consistency, when all 14 items were included in the analysis, yielded a coefficient alpha of 0.84 and good test-retest reliability at 2 weeks (r = .80, p < .001). The novel 14-item PUB Scale was significantly correlated to other measures of boredom; the Boredom Proneness Scale (r = -.588, p < .001) and the Leisure Boredom Scale (r = .576, p < .001). SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The PUB Scale was found to be a statistically viable tool with the ability to detect boredom and differentiate it from depression. In many respects this work is in concert with much of the current research and clinical effort going on in psycho-oncology that defines components of distress that in sum, redefines depression in advanced cancer.

Boredom↗

PubMed2005

Time flies when you're having fun: temporal estimation and the experience of boredom.

Boredom is a common experience in healthy individuals and may be elevated in various neurological or psychiatric conditions. As yet, very little is known about the cognitive or neural bases of the subjective experience of boredom. We examined temporal perception and the temporal allocation of attention in healthy individuals reporting high- or low-levels of boredom. We found no difference in high- or low-boredom-prone individuals in the temporal allocation of attention, while individuals who experienced low-levels of boredom tended to underestimate time more so than high-boredom-prone individuals. Furthermore, high-boredom-prone individuals demonstrated higher error values when estimating time indicating that the subjective perception of the passage of time may be a critical component to the experience of boredom.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Psychometric measures of boredom: a review of the literature.

This research presents a review of the psychometric measures on boredom that have been developed over the past 25 years. Specifically, the author examined the Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS; R. Farmer & N. D. Sundberg, 1986), the job boredom scales by E. A. Grubb (1975) and T. W. Lee (1986), a boredom coping measure (J. A. Hamilton, R. J. Haier, & M. S. Buchsbaum, 1984), 2 scales that assess leisure and free-time boredom (S. E. Iso-Ahola & E. Weissinger, 1990; M. G. Ragheb & S. P. Merydith, 2001), the Sexual Boredom Scale (SBS; J. D. Watt & J. E. Ewing, 1996), and the Boredom Susceptibility (BS) subscale of the Sensation Seeking Scale (M. Zuckerman, 1979a). Particular attention is devoted to discussing the literature regarding the psychometric properties of the BPS because it is the only full-scale measure on the construct of boredom.

Affect↗

PubMed1990

Boredom proneness in pathological gambling.

To test the hypothesis that pathological gamblers seek stimulation as a means of reducing aversive under-aroused states of boredom and/or depression, the Beck Depression Inventory, Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale and a Boredom Proneness Scale were administered to 48 diagnosed pathological gamblers and a control group of 40 family physician patients. Analyses of variance showed pathological gamblers obtained significantly higher boredom proneness and depression scores than those of controls. That the Boredom Proneness Scale failed to correlate with the Zuckerman Boredom Susceptibility subscale suggested the two measure differing dimensions. Results indicated the possible existence of three subtypes of pathological gamblers, one group characterized by boredom, another by depression, and a third by a mixture of both depression and boredom.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The effect of repeated exposure to fruit drinks on intake, pleasantness and boredom in young and elderly adults.

The effect of a repeated monotonous exposure on ad libitum intake, pleasantness and boredom in elderly people in a real life situation is unclear. We therefore investigated the effects of repeated exposure to ad libitum intake of three orange-based drinks on boredom and acceptance in young and elderly people. Young (n=32) and elderly women (n=36) participated in a randomized within subjects cross over trial with three intervention periods of 12 days each followed by a 2-day wash out period. During each intervention period, the participants received 1 L of one type of drink per day. The three drinks varied in sweetness intensity. Intake was measured by weighing the returned packets and pleasantness, boredom and sweetness were rated on a 10-point scale. For the young women, mean consumption of the three drinks (p<0.01) and pleasantness decreased (p<0.01) and boredom increased (p<0.001). For the elderly women, consumption increased (p=0.03) whereas pleasantness (p=0.34) and boredom (p=0.40) were stable. In the young women, the orange peach drink which had the highest sugar content contributed the most to the effect of the repeated exposure. The consumption and pleasantness ratings for this drink decreased (r=-1.05, p=0.01 and r=-0.07, p=0.007, respectively) and boredom increased (r=0.12, p<0.001). In conclusion, elderly women experienced no increased boredom whereas young women did.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

An open label pilot study of citalopram for depression and boredom in ambulatory cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: Significant levels of depressive symptoms are an impediment to adjustment and affect greater than one-third of people with cancer. The clinical diagnosis of major depression is estimated to occur in 25%. Depression is dramatically underrecognized by oncologists and oncology nurses, and as a result, often undertreated. Clinical experience suggests that antidepressants of virtually all types are well tolerated and potentially efficacious. There is, however, a lack of an evidence base for the use of antidepressants in cancer patients. METHODS: We undertook an open-label pilot study using citalopram in 30 cancer patients who reported a high level of depressive symptoms on the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS). In addition to the ZSDS, eligible patients completed a series of visual analog scales for pain, depression, and sleep disturbance; the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Module; and the Purposelessness, Understimulation, and Boredom Scale developed by the research team. Patients began a 2-month course of therapy with citalopram 20 mg, increasing to 40 mg at the end of the fourth week if the patient was in the same range of depressive symptoms as measured by the ZSDS. RESULTS: Twenty-one of 30 patients completed the protocol. The average age of the sample was 57.32 years (SD = 12.6) and was comprised of 11 women (52.4%) and 10 men (47.6%). Depressive symptoms decreased and quality of life improved during the 8-week treatment period. Of special interest was the rate of improvement in boredom, and using the total boredom score of the PUB, significant improvement compared to baseline was seen in weeks 6 (F = 5.266, p < .05) and 8 (F = 9.248, p < .01). SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Overall, the positive findings suggest the need for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of citalopram in cancer patients. Regarding the interplay of boredom and depression, the relationship between improvements in depressive symptoms and boredom is complex. This is illustrated by the way in which the different elements respond to antidepressant treatment. Depression began to improve almost immediately upon initiation of treatment whereas improvement in boredom does not become evident until week 6.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Cognitive correlates of boredom proneness: the role of private self-consciousness and absorption.

The contributions of private self-consciousness and absorption in explaining boredom proneness were investigated. University students enrolled at a public university in the southeastern United States completed a packet containing the Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS; R. Farmer & N. D. Sundberg, 1986), the Self-Consciousness Scale (SCS; A. Fenigstein, M. F. Scheier, & A. H. Buss, 1975), the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS; A. Tellegen & G. Atkinson, 1974), the Need for Cognition Scale (NCS; J. T. Cacioppo, R. E. Petty, & C. F. Kao, 1984), and a demographic questionnaire. Scores on the Boredom Proneness subscale, Internal Stimulation, which indicates the difficulty in keeping oneself interested and entertained, were significantly lower for individuals high in absorption (a measure of attention). Individuals high in positive self-awareness, representing awareness of one's internal states, reported lower overall boredom. Individuals high in negative self-awareness, which focuses on evaluation and judgment, reported increased total boredom proneness scores. Implications of these findings for the treatment of boredom proneness and future research are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1985

Towards a model of boredom.

On the basis of the authors' own research it is suggested boredom may be viewed as having cognitive and affective components. The cognitive component is subjective monotony and the affective component is a high level of frustration. An attempt is made to integrate the evidence supporting this view of boredom with other evidence from the literature to present an integrated model of boredom in which the roles of personality, situational and task characteristics influencing boredom are outlined. Psychophysiological changes occurring during the performance of boring tasks are examined. It is argued that the nature and extent of changes in heart rate and heart-rate variability are not a consequence of boredom but of a task feature (mental load). It is concluded that no clear psychophysiological component of boredom can be detected at present.

Affect↗

PubMed2001

Watching the clock: boredom and vigilance performance.

The current study investigated the relationship between a measure of trait boredom, Boredom Proneness, and vigilance performance on a variation of Mackworth's original clock test. Performance, assessed as Sensory Efficiency, was negatively correlated with Boredom Proneness scores early in the vigil but not during later trials. The results suggested that the trait of Boredom Proneness is predictive of performance on monotonous tasks within the first 10-min. block of trials; however, no differences in performance occurred on subsequent blocks, suggesting that as state boredom increases, differences between individuals diminish, e.g., a ceiling effect. The authors discuss the importance of examining Boredom Proneness as a multidimensional construct. Practical implications for these results are presented, particularly in terms of using Sensory Efficiency as a measure of performance during vigilance tasks.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

Boredom proneness--the development and correlates of a new scale.

This article reports the development, validation, and correlates of a self-report measure of boredom proneness. The 28-item Boredom Proneness (BP) Scale demonstrates satisfactory levels of internal consistency (coefficient alpha = .79) and test-retest reliability (r = .83) over a 1-week interval. Evidence of validity for the BP is supported by correlations with other boredom measures and from a set of studies evaluating interest and attention in the classroom. Other hypothesized relationships with boredom were tested, with significant positive associations found with depression, hopelessness, perceived effort, loneliness, and amotivational orientation. Additional findings indicate boredom proneness to be negatively related to life satisfaction and autonomy orientation. The relationship of boredom to other affective states is discussed, and directions for future research are outlined.

Attention↗

PubMed2003

Boredom and psychotic disorders: cognitive and motivational issues.

CHRONIC BOREDOM and the conditions that induce boredom are associated with a host of undesirable outcomes. It is proposed that the course and treatment of schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses (SMI) that require extended care in community-based treatment facilities are often complicated by such outcomes. Brief case studies are used to illustrate how sustained boredom can contribute to (1) postpsychotic mood disturbances, (2) increased risk-taking and substance-seeking behaviors in the residual phases of the illness, (3) the exacerbation of positive symptoms such as paranoia and hallucinations, (4) changes in distractibility and overall cognitive efficiency, and (5) a hypohedonic state of highly generalized uninterest. The observation is made that despite the potential value of boredom as a prodomal marker, few, if any, of the instruments commonly used to assess clinical change include a measure of boredom. It is suggested that training in covert boredom coping skills should be integrated into the social skills training and rehabilitation strategies currently employed with individuals with severe and persistent mental disorders.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

Adolescents' fire-setting awareness under boredom: relation to personality variables.

The present study assessed whether or not there is a relation between fire-setting and boredom. 56 Swedish secondary-school students, 28 adolescent boys and 28 adolescent girls, were randomly assigned to a Control group and an Experimental [Boredom] group divided equally by sex. Participants were required to complete a projective test, a short story the content of which depicted a bored individual fingering a box of matches or lighter and with a bus ticket in his pocket. The Experimental [Boredom] group completed a 15-min. "boredom" test before anticipating the fictional narrative, while the Control group participated in relaxing activities. Two mutually independent judges evaluated the written stories from three standpoints: the number of fictitious fires, the relation to fire, and the boredom in the written stories. The results indicated a significant difference between the Experimental [Boredom] group and the Control group concerning relation to fire.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Boredom proneness: its relationship to psychological- and physical-health symptoms.

The relationship between boredom proneness and health-symptom reporting was examined. Undergraduate students (N = 200) completed the Boredom Proneness Scale and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist. A multiple analysis of covariance indicated that individuals with high boredom-proneness total scores reported significantly higher ratings on all five subscales of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (Obsessive-Compulsive, Somatization, Anxiety, Interpersonal Sensitivity, and Depression). The results suggest that boredom proneness may be an important element to consider when assessing symptom reporting. Implications for determining the effects of boredom proneness on psychological- and physical-health symptoms. as well as the application in clinical settings, are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Boredom proneness: its relationship to positive and negative affect.

170 undergraduate students completed the Boredom Proneness Scale by Farmer and Sundberg and the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist by Zuckerman and Lubin. Significant negative relationships were found between boredom proneness and negative affect scores (i.e., Depression, Hostility, Anxiety). Significant positive correlations also obtained between boredom proneness and positive affect (i.e., Positive Affect, Sensation Seeking). The correlations between boredom proneness "subscales" and positive and negative affect were congruent with those obtained using total boredom proneness scores. Implications for counseling are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Boredom and social meaning.

Meaning is necessary in social processes. An absence of meaning in an activity or circumstance leads to an experience of boredom. This is a restless, irritable feeling that the subject's current activity or situation holds no appeal, and that there is a need to get on with something interesting. Thus boredom emotionally registers an absence of meaning and leads the actor in question towards meaning. Boredom, then, is central to key social processes centered on questions of meaningfulness. Given the pervasive preconditions for boredom, release from boredom is a factor that explains characteristic social practices, including risk taking and intergroup conflict.

Affect↗

PubMed1999

Boredom proneness and psychosocial development.

The effect of boredom proneness as measured by the Boredom Proneness Scale (R. F. Farmer & N. D. Sundberg, 1986) on college students' psychosocial development was investigated via the Student Developmental Task and Lifestyle Assessment (SDTLA; R. B. Winston, T. K. Miller, & J. S. Prince, 1995). Low boredom-prone students had significantly higher scores on the following SDTLA measures: career planning, lifestyle planning, peer relationships, educational involvement, instrumental autonomy, emotional autonomy, interdependence, academic autonomy, and salubrious lifestyle. Gender differences on boredom proneness and psychosocial development measures are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Interrelations of psychiatric patient experiences of boredom and mental health.

A review of literature related to psychiatric patients' interrelated experiences of boredom and mental health demonstrated that developing a better understanding of the relationship between boredom and health would provide important implications for development of the therapeutic environment of psychiatric units. The literature suggested that experiences of meaningful roles and relationships contribute substantially to experiences of control essential for mental health. Boredom is an indicator of a lack of experience of meaning. Many psychiatric patients experience boredom and lack opportunities to experience meaning, indicating a lack in the therapeutic potential of the hospital environment and a requisite for change and further research.

Adaptation, Psychological↗