Validation of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II in Spanish University Students

Background: This study aimed to analyse the psychometric properties of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II (CEI-II) to provide evidence of validity for its use in research on health promotion and the quality of life of young Spanish university students. Method: A sample of 807 participants (75.09% female) aged 18–26 years (M = 20.68; SD = 2.13) completed the CEI-II and health and quality of life measures questionnaire. Results: A unidimensional structure was confirmed, but the original two-dimensional structure also showed an adequate fit. The measures obtained from the CEI-II were gender- and age-invariant, which exhibited adequate internal consistency for both the full scale and subscales, and showed a statistically significant relationship with life satisfaction, sense of coherence, and psychological distress. Conclusions: The CEI-II can be used as unidimensional, which is recommended, but also as a two-dimensional measure. Both structures provide reliable, valid, and invariant measures across gender and age of exploratory behaviours in Spanish university students. Furthermore, the results confirm the association between exploratory behaviours and greater health management.