engleski

Prominent factors in healthy risk behaviors: Gender similarities and differences

The aim of the study was to find out the most prominent factors that explain significantly variance of the different risk behaviors in adolescents. A very extensive questionnaire that has covered all major variables (socio demographic records, common behaviors, value orientations, intrapersonal and interpersonal variables) was applied on representative sample of 834 high school students (476 girls and 358 boys) in Zadar (Croatia) region. The main variable, risk behaviors tendency was estimated as a frequency of using alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. A stepwise backward regression analyses was applied in an attempt to find out the most prominent and significant factors that are connected to risk behaviors, among huge number of predictors. The results were analyzed separately for girls and boys, and have shown that there were 14 significant predictors of healthy risk behaviors in girls, and only nine in boys. They were able to explain 46% and 41 % of variance of criterion in girls and boys sample, respectively. The most prominent risk factor that has appeared in both samples was spending leisure time at street or in a pub. Other common significant factors are unlimited stay out of home at night and sociability (extraversion) as risk factors. Engaging in organizing activity and value orientation toward sport emerged as the significant protective factors.

healthy risk behaviors; gender similarities

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