High Risk Behaviors in Adolescence and Their Relationship to Death Anxiety and Death Personifications

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P. Cotter
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Locus Of Control ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Risk Behaviors ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
School Students ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
High Risk Behaviors

This study examines adolescent perceptions of death with a sample of 220 high school students. Variables examined were personifications of death, death anxiety, locus of control, self-esteem, and level of risk. Chi-square, regression analysis, and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. High risk behaviors were negatively correlated with death anxiety. Males had higher risk scores and lower death anxiety scores than females. Females revealed higher death anxiety scores than males and lower self-esteem scores. High self-esteem correlated with an internal locus of control. Most students selected a male, cold, remote death personification image; females were more likely to select a female death personification image than males. These results suggest that adolescents have formulated a perception of death. When asked to personify death most students chose a negative, cold, remote image, with females more likely to select a gentle, comforting death image than males. The grim, terrifying, and robot-like images were more likely to be selected by males but were chosen much less frequently than the cold, remote, and gentle well-meaning images.

High-Risk Behaviors Among High School Students in Massachusetts Who Use Anabolic Steroids

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-272
Author(s):  
Amy B. Middleman ◽  
Annie H. Faulkner ◽  
Elizabeth R. Woods ◽  
S. Jean Emans ◽  
Robert H. DuRant
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Risk Behavior ◽  
Risk Behaviors ◽  
Anabolic Steroid ◽  
Drinking Alcohol ◽  
School Students ◽  
High Risk Behaviors ◽  
Steroid Use

Objective. To assess the association between the frequency of anabolic steroid use and the frequency of other health risk and problem behaviors among high school students in Massachusetts. Methods. The 1993 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey was conducted on a random sample of 3054 high school students (49% male; mean age, 16 ± 1.2 years). The frequency of lifetime anabolic steroid use was measured on an ordinal scale from 1 to 6, representing "0" to "40 or more times." Other health risk and problem behaviors measured were sexual behaviors, suicidal behaviors, frequency of not wearing a passenger seat belt, riding a motorcycle, not wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle, driving after drinking alcohol, riding with a driver who had been drinking alcohol, fighting, and carrying a weapon. The associations between the frequency of anabolic steroid use and other high-risk behaviors were determined using the Spearman correlation coefficient for ordinal data and the Kruskall-Wallis analysis of variance for categorical data. Representative indicators of each risk behavior significantly associated with anabolic steroid use were then analyzed using a stepwise multiple-regression analysis. Results. The frequency of anabolic steroid use was associated with all of the other high-risk behaviors analyzed. Using multiple-regression analysis, driving after drinking alcohol accounted for 12.5% of the variance of the model. Carrying a gun, the number of sexual partners within the past 3 months, not using a condom during last intercourse, injury in a physical fight requiring medical attention, history of a sexually transmitted disease, not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle, not wearing a passenger seatbelt, and a suicide attempt requiring medical attention accounted for an additional 9.0% of the variance. The full model accounted for greater than 21% of the variation. Conclusions. The frequency of anabolic steroid use among adolescents is associated with other high-risk behaviors, thus supporting the hypothesis that anabolic steroid use is part of a "risk behavior syndrome" rather than an isolated behavior. This finding emphasizes the need for comprehensive high-risk behavior screening and counseling among teens who use anabolic steroids.

Relationship of high-risk behaviors to aids knowledge in adolescent high school students

1988 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Reuben ◽  
Karen Hein ◽  
Ernet Drucker ◽  
Laurie Bauman ◽  
Jennifer Lauby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Risk Behaviors ◽  
School Students ◽  
High Risk Behaviors ◽  
Aids Knowledge ◽  
Relationship Of

scholarly journals The Mediating Role of Alexithymia in the Relationship Between Defense Mechanisms and Tendency to High-risk Behaviors Among Adolescents

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36
Author(s):  
Zahra Nikmanesh ◽  
◽  
Mehdi Darvish Molla ◽  
Mehrnosh Mehranfard ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Path Analysis ◽  
Risk Behaviors ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
High Risk Behaviors ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship

Background: Although high-risk behaviors lead to adverse physical, psychological, and sociological consequences, less attention has been paid to identifying their related factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of alexithymia in the relationship between defense mechanisms and high-risk behaviors among adolescents in Zahedan. Methods: In this descriptive-correlative study, junior and senior high school students of Zahedan, Iran were studied in the academic year 2015-2016. A sample of 250 (125 males and 125 females) students were chosen by multi-stage cluster sampling and asked to complete the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ), Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), and the Risk-Taking Scale (IARS) for Iranian Adolescents. Data analysis was conducted by measuring coefficients of correlation and performing a path analysis. Results: Path analysis showed a significant correlation between defense mechanisms and alexithymia (P<0.01) and a significant correlation was found between immature defense mechanisms and high-risk behaviors (P<0.01). Conclusion: In the relationship between dysfunctional defense mechanisms and high-risk activities, alexithymia played a mediating role. It can be inferred that dysfunctional defense mechanisms play a key role in high-risk activities by influencing alexithymia.

High-risk behaviors and demographic features: a cross-sectional study among Iranian adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Ghahremani ◽  
Mahin Nazari ◽  
Maryam Changizi ◽  
Mohamad Hossein Kaveh
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Risk Behaviors ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Risk Behaviors ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Demographic Features

Abstract Background and objectives High-risk behaviors are considered to be a serious threat among adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of unhealthy and high-risk behaviors and their relationship with demographic features in adolescents living in Shiraz, Iran. Materials and methods The present descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 483 students in the 10th grade of high school. The data were collected using a demographic information form and a modified adolescents high-risk behaviors questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using the test-retest method. Afterwards, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software (IBM), version 22 and were analyzed using the chi-square (χ2) test, logistic regression analysis and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results High-risk health behaviors were significantly correlated to adolescents’ gender, parents’ occupations and education levels, length of residency in Shiraz and talking about important things with one’s parents (p < 0.03). Gender predicted 52% of variance of bullying behaviors at school [Exp(B) = 0.502, p < 0.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.261–0.996]. In fact, most high-risk behaviors were associated with gender (p < 0.001). Indeed, bullying was mostly reported in boys, while being hopeless or sad, suicide attempts and appropriate weight loss behaviors were mostly reported among girls. Additionally, the frequency of smoking cigarettes and using hookahs was higher among girls compared to boys (23.1% for smoking cigarettes and 39.6% for using hookahs). However, no significant correlation was observed between gender and smoking cigarettes and using hookahs (p > 0.704 for smoking cigarettes and p > 0.118 for using hookahs). The most prevalent high-risk behaviors were physical fighting (51.1%), being sad or hopeless (35.2%), alcohol abuse (26.7%), overweight (14.7%) and obesity (8.1%) in both genders. Based on the results, only 26.5% of the adolescents had sufficient physical activity. Besides, the adolescents’ weight scores were significantly correlated to eating green salads (p < 0.01), which was seen more among overweight adolescents. Conclusion The findings indicated that adolescents’ gender and their parents’ roles should be taken into consideration in designing health promotion programs, such as mental health and its related skills. This would eventually result in the prevention and reduction of unhealthy habits.

Depression, Self-Esteem, Suicide Ideation, Death Anxiety, and Gpa in High School Students of Divorced and Nondivorced Parents

1992 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 755-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Brubeck ◽  
John Beer
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Suicide Ideation ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Background Information ◽  
School Students ◽  
Grade Point

131 subjects from a small north central Kansas high school participated and completed the Beck Depression Scale, Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory short form with the Lie scale included, the Death Anxiety Scale, and the first 11 questions of the Beck Scale of Suicide Ideation. Background information collected from each subject included age, grade, marital status of parents, and sex. Grade point averages (on a 4-point scale) were taken from the students' files. On death anxiety girls had a significantly higher mean than boys while freshmen's and sophomores' scores were significantly higher than those of juniors and seniors but there was no difference between means of students of divorced and nondivorced parents. On self-esteem and GPA children of divorced parents scored significantly lower than children of nondivorced parents, but there was no difference between the sexes on self-esteem. On GPA girls scored significantly higher than boys. On depression the children of divorced parents scored higher than children of nondivorced parents but there was no sex difference.

Self-Esteem, Locus of Control, the Imposter Phenomenon, and Academic Achievement in High School Students

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-120
Author(s):  
Rachael Parker ◽  
Linda Bresette ◽  
Jim O'Neill ◽  
Mary Scapino ◽  
Amanda Walsh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
School Students ◽  
Imposter Phenomenon

Vocational Interests of Adolescents: Relationships between Self-Esteem and Locus of Control

1997 ◽  
Vol 81 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1363-1371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann K. Mullis ◽  
Ronald L. Mullis
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Vocational Interests ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
External Locus ◽  
School Students ◽  
Control Scale ◽  
Interest Inventory ◽  
Internal Locus Of Control

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among scores on vocational interests, self-esteem, and locus of control for high school students. Grade and sex differences were also examined. 1364 high school students ranging in age from 14 to 19 years of age were administered the Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory, Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children, and the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory. High school students with higher scores on self-esteem and showing an orientation toward internal locus of control expressed more interests in a variety of vocational themes than adolescents with lower scores on self-esteem and scores for external locus of control. Sex and grade differences in vocational interests of adolescents were also noted. The findings were discussed in light of theoretical and practical considerations.

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