A Mixed-Methods Approach to Refining and Measuring the Construct of Positive Risk-Taking in Adolescence

Positive risk taking across the world

Around the world, adolescence is characterized by increased risk taking. Much research has focused on negative risk taking, but there is growing recognition of positive risk taking, which can benefit adolescent development. So far, research on positive risk taking has been limited to Western samples. This study examined a self-report scale of positive risk taking with a sample of 962 adolescents (Mage = 18.51 years) from nine diverse countries: China, Colombia, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, and the United States of America. There were three aims: (1) Examine the measurement invariance of positive risk taking across countries, (2) examine whether positive and negative risk taking are distinct constructs, and (3) compare positive risk taking endorsement and perceptions of its safety and benefits across countries and sex. Results indicated that the 14-item positive risk-taking scale was invariant across all nine countries. Evidence also suggested that positive and negative risk taking were distinct constructs. Endorsement of positive risk taking varied significantly across all countries, with adolescents from China and Jordan exhibiting the lowest endorsement. Although positive risk taking was generally perceived as safe and beneficial, adolescents from Asian countries perceived positive risk taking to be less safe and beneficial than their peers from other countries. Together, findings from this study offer evidence of a promising positive risk-taking measure for cross-national use. Future research directions for identifying cultural factors that can help explain cross-national differences in positive risk taking are discussed.

Profiles of negative and positive risk-taking behavior among Asian and non-Asian American emerging adults

Risk-taking includes both negative and positive risky behaviors, but little is known about how negative and positive risk-taking occur simultaneously. This study examined negative and positive risk-taking profiles of Asian American and Non-Asian American emerging adults (N = 401; Mage = 20.68; 68.30% women) and their demographic and cultural factor correlates. Three profiles emerged: Moderate Negative and Positive, Low Negative and Positive, and High Negative/Average Positive. Asian Americans were most likely to belong in the Low Negative and Positive. The High Negative/Average Positive profile was associated with stronger emotion control values, whereas the Low Negative and Positive profile was higher in humility values. These findings underscore the role of cultural beliefs in shaping distinct risk-taking patterns among emerging adults.

Predictors of Adolescents' Positive and Negative Risk-Taking: Similarities and Differences

INTRODUCTION

The similarities and differences between positive (PRT) and negative risk-taking (NRT) remain unclear. The present study explored the issue in terms of sensation-seeking, impulse control, and peer factors.

METHODS

Adolescents from Liaoning, China, participated in a 2-year longitudinal study with two follow-up surveys. The initial sample in June 2022 included 339 adolescents aged 12-15 years (51% female, Mage = 13.38). The follow-up in June 2023 comprised 324 adolescents aged 13-16 years (52% female, Mage = 14.38) from the original sample.

RESULTS

(1) Sensation seeking was positively related to PRT and NRT, motor control was negatively related to both, whereas attentional control and planning were positively related to PRT and negatively related to NRT. Moreover, Planning (T1) positively predicted PRT (T2). Additionally, changes in sensation seeking positively predicted PRT and NRT (T2), and changes in impulse control negatively predicted both. (2) Only sensation seeking and motor control interaction negatively predicted NRT but positively predicted PRT. (3) Negative peer norms were positively related to PRT and NRT, and positive peer norms was negatively related to NRT. The positive predictive effect of peer norms (T1) disappeared.

CONCLUSIONS

PRT and NRT were both associated with higher sensation seeking, lower motor control and higher negative peer norm. Unlike negative risk taking, positive risk taking was associated with higher planning, the interaction between sensation-seeking and motor control and friendship quality. Our findings provide new information on the nuances of impulse control and positive and negative risk-taking, and have implications for understanding and promoting positive adolescent risk-taking, and PRT is an adaptive and strategic behavior compared to negative risk-taking, which can be facilitated by an increase in the planning and quality of friendship.

Effects of hazards and sensation-seeking on intermediate swimming college students' hazard perceptions

BACKGROUND

According to the Global Report on Drowning: Preventing a Leading Killer and Preventing Drowning: An Implementation Guide, two documents released by the World Health Organization in 2014 and 2017, respectively, 372,000 people drown each year globally (approximately 42 per hour), half of whom are below 25 years old. Chinese adolescents aged 18-24 years are the main victim group. Intermediate swimming college students are more susceptible to risk-taking behavior and drowning while swimming. In particular, college students with high-sensation-seeking levels have greater confidence in their swimming ability. Consequently, they tend to overestimate their skills and pursue exciting experiences while underestimating or ignoring the risk factors in the situation. The scores of college students in sensation-seeking show a significant positive correlation with highly risky swimming behavior. However, the correlation with the reaction time to hazards is unclear. In this study, using previous theories, the sensation-seeking scale, and the measurement of the reaction time to hazards, we clearly explain why "college students with higher levels of sensation-seeking have a higher risk of drowning." We examined the reaction time to hazards and eye movement data of intermediate swimming college students with different sensation-seeking levels, while controlling the obviousness of hazards in the videos for the experiment.

METHODS

We utilized 16 videos of students swimming as experimental stimuli and employed a mixed experimental design of 2 (sensation-seeking: high, low) × 2 (hazard type: obvious hazard, hidden hazard). Sensation-seeking, the between-subjects variable, was categorized into two levels (high and low). The hazard type, the within-subjects variable, was also divided into two categories (obvious and hidden). We analyzed the disparities in reaction time to hazards and eye-movement data between intermediate swimming college students with high (N = 28) or low (N = 28) levels of sensation-seeking.

RESULTS

Intermediate swimming college students with high levels of sensation-seeking exhibited significantly longer reaction times to both obvious (F = 6.251, p = .000 < .001) and hidden (F = 49.438, p = .000 < .001) hazards compared to their low-sensation-seeking counterparts. The first fixation duration of intermediate swimming college students on obvious hazards was shorter than that on hidden hazards (F = 13.596, p = .000 < .001), and the average fixation duration of intermediate swimming college students with high levels of sensation-seeking on hidden hazards proved to be significantly shorter (F = 5.498, p = .000 < .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

High-sensation-seeking intermediate swimming college students exhibited longer reaction times to hidden hazards compared to their low-sensation-seeking peers. These findings indicate that a high-sensation-seeking tendency can result in delayed reaction times and a disregard for response measures among intermediate swimming college students.

The Risk-Taking and Self-Harm Inventory for Adolescents: Validation of the Italian Version (RTSHIA-I)

The aim of the present paper is to establish the factorial validity and reliability of the Risk-Taking and Self-Harm Inventory for Adolescents (RTSHIA), proposed by Vrouva and colleagues in 2010, in an Italian sample. The RTSHIA measures both Risk-Taking and Self-Harm behavior in adolescents. We administered the scale to a total of 1292 Italian adolescents from 9th to 12th grade; to verify the validity of the scale, we also assessed emotion regulation and psychopathological traits. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (N = 638) and the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (N = 660) confirmed the original two-factor structure of the RTSHIA (Risk-Taking and Self-Harm). The only differences in the Italian version of the RTSHIA (RTSHIA-I) were that one item was moved from the original Risk-Taking factor to the Italian Self-Harm factor, and another item that was not included in the original RTSHIA is now part of the Risk-Taking factor in the Italian version. The reliability of the RTSHIA-I is also confirmed, and both factors correlate with emotion regulation and externalizing/internalizing traits. Our results suggest that the RTSHIA-I is a useful tool for assessing Risk-Taking and Self-Harm behaviors in Italian adolescents, and the correlational patterns indicate that these behaviors may be related to difficulties in mentalization skills.