Correlation Between Alienation and Health Risk Behaviors in High School Students

Abstract

Purpose: This study was performed to identify the relationship between alienation and health risk behaviors among high school students. Methods: Data were collected by questionnaires for a sample of 550 students of high schools in G city. The data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Duncan test and pearson correlation coefficient.Results: 1. The students with lower financial state scored significantly higher than those of upper middle class students in a sense of alienation. 2. There also were significant differences on the health risk behaviors in terms of school types, gender, parental types and financial state. Students in vocational high schools and male students scored significantly higher on smoking, drinking, premature sex than students in academic high schools and female students did. Suicidal thoughts and attempts was significantly high in students female, with single parent, and with lower financial state. 3. A sense of alienation was positively correlated with smoking(r=.13, p=.00), drinking(r=.15, p=.00), suicidal thoughts and attempts(r=.42, p=.00), and an overall health risk behavior(r=.23, p=.00). Health risk behavior was positively correlated with powerlessness(r=.09, p=.O3), meaningless(r=.22, p=.00), normlessness(r=.29, p=.00), and an overall alienation(r=.23, p=.00). Conclusion: The correlation between the alienation and health risk behaviors was significant. Therefore, taking care of high school students with high sense of alienation is necessary to reduce their risk behaviors.