12 ADOLESCENTS' ASSESSMENTS OF BEHAVIORAL RISK: SEX DIFFERENCES AND MATURATION EFFECTS

Abstract

Adolescents' perceptions of risk involved in specific behaviors were examined in 224 middle/high school students from 11 to 19 years (mean=14.2 years, SD=1.8). 110 subjects were male and 114 were female. Subjects rated the risk of 11 behaviors on a 6-point scale. The behaviors included those associated with morbidity/mortality (drinking beer/wine=DRINKBW;drinking hard liquor=DRINKH;using drugs=DRUGS;being a passenger in a car when driver has had a few drinks=DRVDRK; or is driving fast=DRVFAST; riding a bike/skateboard recklessly=RECK; having sexual intercourse=SEX). Other behaviors rated were smoking cigarettes (CIG); not seeing a physician in presence of health problem (NOMD); eating poorly (EATBAD); and not exercising (NOEX). In decreasing, order of risk, subjects rated the behaviors as follows: DRUGS, DRVDRK, DRINKH, NOMD, CIG, RECK, DRINKBW, DRVFAST, SEX, EATBAD, and NOEX. Risk assessments varied as a function of the adolescents sex, age, and Tanner stage. Behaviors associated with morbidity/ mortality were seen as being significantly more risky by females than by males (p<.005); individual behaviors that females rated as more risky were SEX, DRVFAST, EATBAD (p=<.001) and RECK (p<.01). Older, more physiologically mature adolescents perceived significantly less risk than did younger adolescents for behaviors associated with morbidity/mortality (p's<.001). Specific behaviors for which older, more mature adolescents perceived less risk were: SEX, CIG, DRINKBW, DRINKH (p's<.001) and DRUGS (p=.001). Physiologic age and sex differences need to be considered in designing intervention programs.