Short Version Boredom Proneness Scale – Chinese Version

Description

Boredom is a complex emotional experience characterized by feelings of indifference, emptiness, helplessness, and dissatisfaction that arise when an individual faces a lack of external and internal stimulation and is unable to experience adequate satisfaction of needs. Boredom can stimulate subsequent behavioral manifestations in individuals. Boredom proneness refers to relatively enduring personality traits that reflect stable individual differences in emotional responses and behaviors associated with boredom. Research indicates that boredom is closely linked to individual health, education, occupational, and social issues. Boredom can lead to school absenteeism or dropout problems in adolescents, provoke deviant behaviors as well as substance abuse, eating disorders, and pathological gambling. It is often accompanied by various negative emotional experiences like anxiety, depression, and loneliness, alongside issues of occupational burnout, low job satisfaction, and low work efficiency.

Authors and Contact Email

Li Xiaomin, Xin Tiegang, Shang Wenjing, et al. – information not available

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to assess the boredom proneness in individuals, particularly among university students.

Test Year

2016

Administration Method and Scoring

The Boredom Proneness Scale (BPS) is a widely used tool for measuring boredom tendencies, and a Chinese version has been applied among university students in different regions. The simplified version, known as the Boredom Proneness Scale-Short Form (BPS-SF), includes 12 items that assess the core features of boredom tendencies and uses a 7-point Likert scale for scoring (完全不同意~完全同意, “Strongly disagree to Strongly agree”).

Reliability and Validity

The confirmatory factor analysis results indicate that the two-factor model fits well (χ2/df=3.827, CFI=0.901, TLI=0.895, RMSEA=0.041, SRMR=0.048). The total score of the scale shows correlation coefficients with state boredom, physical aggression, verbal aggression, hostility, anger, depression, and trait loneliness ranging from 0.22 to 0.63. The internal consistency reliability of the total scale and subscales is 0.89, 0.80, and 0.83 respectively; the split-half reliability is 0.82, 0.74, and 0.71; and the test-retest reliability is 0.85, 0.73, and 0.76.

Factors and Subscales

The simplified version of the BPS assesses two factors: internal stimuli (内部刺激) and external stimuli (外部刺激).

Keywords

Boredom (无聊), Boredom Proneness Scale (无聊倾向量表), University Students (大学生), Emotional Experience (情绪体验), Internal Stimulation (内部刺激), External Stimulation (外部刺激)

Items in Chinese

1. 对我来说，全神贯注是件易如反掌的事情。
2. 许多人会说我是一个有创造力、想象力丰富的人。
3. 被迫观看别人的家庭电影或者旅行照片，这让我倍感无聊。
4. 我能从自己做的大多数事情中寻找到刺激。
5. 我很难找到一个让我十分兴奋的学业课程或工作任务。
6. 除非是做一些令人激动甚至危险的事情，我总觉得自己无聊的像行尸走肉。
7. 对我而言，自娱自乐是件很容易的事儿。
8. 在朋友圈中，我是最有恒心的一个。
9. 电视和电影都千篇一律，太过时了。
10. 我需要做的都是些重复单调的事情。
11. 我总是感觉到周围的环境既单调又无聊。
12. 任何情况下我总能找到事情做，而且能找到并保持自己的兴趣。

Items in English

1. For me, concentrating is an effortless task.
2. Many people would say I am a creative and imaginative person.
3. Being forced to watch someone else’s home movies or travel photos makes me feel bored.
4. I can find stimulation in most of the things I do.
5. I have difficulty finding a course or work task that excites me.
6. Unless I am doing something exciting or even dangerous, I often feel like I’m going through the motions.
7. For me, entertaining myself is very easy.
8. Among my friends, I am the most persistent.
9. Television and movies are too repetitive and outdated.
10. The things I need to do are mostly monotonous and repetitive.
11. I always feel that my environment is both monotonous and boring.
12. I can always find things to do and can maintain my interest in any situation.

References

李晓敏,辛铁钢,尚文晶等.简版无聊倾向量表在大学生群体中的试用[J].中国临床心理学杂志,2016,24(06):1029-1033.DOI:10.16128/j.cnki.1005-3611.2016.06.014.