Adolescent Risk Behavior Subgroups: An Empirical Assessment

Abstract

Theories and prior research have outlined a constellation of adolescent risk behaviors that tend to co-occur, reflecting a general pattern. Although their generality has largely been supported, there is some question about how to best study and portray the relationship among these behaviors. This study used data from a survey administered to high school youth (n = 2549, 38 schools). The general population sample comprised an even split between boys and girls, averaged roughly 16 years of age, and was 59% White and 10% Hispanic/Latino. Using latent class analysis, four subgroups, comprised of varying types and degrees of risky behavior, were identified. Specifically, there were two groups that "abstained" and "experimented" with risky behaviors and two others that had higher, but somewhat distinct, patterns of such activities. These groups were then examined in relation to youth characteristics (e.g., mental and physical health, school performance) and socio-environmental factors (e.g., social support, parental monitoring) that may be useful for better understanding "problem behavior syndrome" and development of prevention strategy.

Developing a Brief Sensation Seeking Scale for Children: Establishing Concurrent Validity With Video Game Use and Rule-Breaking Behavior

“…Higher sensation seeking children also expressed a greater preference for dangerous play behavior (e.g., jumping down stairs, diving hazardously into a swimming pool), which is a finding that has been replicated in several subsequent studies (Morrongiello & Lasenby, 2006;Morrongiello et al, 2009). Finally, higher sensation-seeking boys were more likely than their peers to have engaged in risky behaviors, including playing with matches, hitting peers, smoking, damaging property, taking money from their mother's purse, shoplifting, and skipping school (for a discussion of risky behaviors, see Sullivan, Childs, & O'Connell, 2010).…”

The development of children’s inhibition: Does parenting matter?

“…Such a positive association with children's EF was illustrated in a recent study where attention problems of adolescents were related to their parents' monitoring (Bares, Delva, Grogan-Kaylor, & Andrade, 2011). Monitoring is also known to reduce children's likelihood of displaying behavioral problems (Crouter & Head, 2002;Sullivan, Childs, & O'Connell, 2010). Taking these results together might suggest that EF could play a mediational role between parental monitoring and behavioral adaptation.…”

A Latent Class Analysis of Victimization Among Middle and High School Students in California

“…To address this gap, we utilized a LCA to examine classes of victimization, incorporating type and frequency, and associations between victimization and students' gender, grade level, and race. LCA is one of the best methodological tools available to understand patterns and configurations of risk and risk behaviors (Sullivan, Childs, & O'Connell, 2010). This type of knowledge could help researchers and practitioners develop more effective school violence intervention programs targeted to specific groups of students.…”