Sensation seeking and injury risk in downhill skiing

Abstract A validated Dutch version of Zuckerman's sensation seeking (SS) scale was sent to a population of downhill skiers. It was expected that injured skiers (N = 219) would have higher thrill and adventure seeking (TAS) scores compared to a control group of uninjured skiers (N = 288). Information on other risk factors for ski injury, as measured in an earlier study among the same skiers, was included in a logistic model in order to adjust for confounding. Response (73%) was slightly higher among females, younger skiers and higher educated persons. Skiers have a high TAS score compared to a Dutch reference population. The observed correlations between SS subscales, as well as the trends associated with age and gender are in full agreement with the literature. Surprisingly, TAS scores were lower among the cases (35.0) compared to the control group (37.3) [P