Sexual Experience Among Emotionally and Behaviorally Disordered Students in Therapeutic Day Schools: An Ecological Examination of Adolescent Risk

Adolescents are more likely to take risks. Typically, research on adolescent risk-taking has focused on its negative health and societal consequences. However, some risk-taking behaviors might be positive, defined here as behavior that does not violate the rights of others and that might advance socially-valuable goals. Empirical work on positive risk-taking has been limited by measurement challenges. In this study, we elicited adolescents’ free responses (n = 75) about a time they took a risk. Based on thematic coding, we identified positive behaviors described as risks and selected items to form a self-report scale. The resulting positive risk-taking scale was quantitatively validated in a population-based sample of adolescent twins (n = 1249). Second, we evaluated associations between positive risk-taking, negative risk-taking, and potential personality and peer correlates using a genetically informed design. Sensation seeking predicted negative and positive risk-taking equally strongly, whereas extraversion differentiated forms of risk-taking. Additive genetic influences on personality accounted for the total heritability in positive risk-taking. Indirect pathways from personality through positive and negative peer environments were identified. These results provide promising evidence that personality factors of sensation seeking and extraversion can manifest as engagement in positive risks. Increased understanding of positive manifestations of adolescent risk-taking may yield targets for positive youth development strategies to bolster youth well-being.

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Risk taking and HIV/AIDS among young people in Cameroon: Prediction of vulnerability using the adolescent Risk-Taking Questionnaire

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.2004.32.3.207 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 207-219 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eleonora Gullone ◽

Carole McArthur ◽

Susan Moore

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Risk Taking ◽

Adolescent Risk ◽

Hiv Aids

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Analysis of Korean adolescents' sexual experience and substance use

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.5935 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 45 (5) ◽

pp. 809-817

Author(s):

Gyu-Young Lee ◽

Yun-Jung Choi

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Sex Education ◽

Online Survey ◽

Illicit Drugs ◽

Sexual Experience ◽

National Policy ◽

Unprotected Sex ◽

Sexual Experiences ◽

Chi Square ◽

Korean Adolescents

We investigated the relationship between Korean adolescents' sexual experience—including, kissing, petting, and sexual intercourse—and their alcohol consumption and use of illegal drugs and tobacco. We analyzed data taken from the responses of 74,186 adolescents who had participated in the 2012 Korean Youth Health Behavior Online Survey. Variables regarding sexual experiences, experience of contraception, and substance and alcohol use were extracted and analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression. The results showed that fewer than 30% of the respondents reported always using contraception, and almost half reported rarely using contraception. The number of boys and girls reporting having had sexual experiences increased from 2 to 4 times when they also reported use of illicit drugs, smoking tobacco, or alcohol consumption. The results highlight a need for school-based sex education supported by a national policy and the provision of basic resources to reduce the incidence of unprotected sex and to improve healthy behavior of adolescents.

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The study of the relationship between parenting styles and risk-taking in adolescents in only-child families in Qazvin city

International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health ◽

10.1515/ijamh-2019-0074 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Nezal Azh ◽

Reza Zeighami ◽

Tahereh Ataei ◽

Maryam Mafi

Keyword(s):

Parenting Style ◽

Parenting Styles ◽

Risk Taking ◽

Health Centers ◽

Authoritative Parenting ◽

Average Risk ◽

Only Child ◽

High Risk Behaviors ◽

Adolescent Risk ◽

Authoritative Parenting Style

AbstractObjectivesRisk-taking reasons in adolescents are divided into four cognitive, emotional, socio-environmental, and family factors. Structure, composition, and size of family as well as parenting styles effect on the development of creative abilities, transmitting cultural and social values, and the amount of adolescent risk-taking. The present study aimed to evaluate the tendency toward high-risk behaviors based on ways of interacting with children in only-child families.MethodsThis research is a descriptive analytical study. The research population was only-child adolescents and one of their parents who referred to health centers in Qazvin city to receive healthcare. The sampling has been conducted in census method. The data collection tools were adolescents’ risk-taking questionnaires and Baumrind Parenting style Inventory which were completed by adolescents and one parent, respectively. The questionnaires were completed in health centers of Qazvin City, and the sampling was conducted since February to September 2018. The SPSS version 24 was used to analyze the data.ResultsOne hundred and seventeen adolescents aged between 13 and 19 years together with one of their parents participated in this study. The majority of the mothers were housewives (62.9%) and fathers were either employees or self-employed (76.9%). Authoritative parenting style was the most dominant parenting style amongst parents (93%), and the majority of the samples (78%) had the least amount of risk. The average risk-taking score of adolescents was 23.3 ± 61.29 and the highest risk-taking behavior was dangerous driving (12.83). Risk-taking amount was negatively correlated with authoritative parenting style (r = −0.20, p = 0.28), while having direct and meaningful correlation with the permissive style (r = 0.20, p = 0.02).ConclusionThe authoritative parenting style in only-child families has been a dominant trend that justifies the intimate parent-children relationships and decreases the risk-taking amount of adolescents. Therefore, parents are suggested to focus on increasing their relationship with their adolescents, rather than reducing their family size.

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