An examination of adolescent risk-taking using a story completion task

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess whether risk-taking as described in complete the story tasks written by adolescents could be predicted by the perceived consequences of the behaviours portrayed in the stories. The study involved analysis of story themes in terms of portrayal of participation in risky behaviour and the nature of story outcomes. Links between story elements were assessed and comparisons made of these projectively-based findings with previous self-report research. Participants were 570 adolescents aged 12 to 17 from secondary schools in Melbourne, Australia. Responses to four complete the story stimuli were coded according to whether story protagonists participated in the hypothetical risk posed, and in terms of the behavioural outcomes presented. Adolescents were more likely to write stories accepting negative than positive risks, and to expect short-term rather than long-term consequences. Perceived short-term consequences of risk-taking behaviour were predictive of risk participation, however long-term consequences were not. The study provided data about adolescent risk-taking which mirrored and extended the findings of self-report studies.