Predicting Adolescents’ Intentions to Engage in Fire Risk Behaviors: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

The current study examined the utility of Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in explaining adolescents’ intentions to engage in fire-risk behaviors (e.g., using accelerants to start a fire), while controlling for relevant background variables. A total of 222 youth (M age=15.23years; 69% female) were recruited from public schools in rural and urban areas in the United States. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed fire and burn safety knowledge, TPB components, adolescent psychopathology, parental monitoring, and adolescent risk-taking. Using a multiple regression analysis, the TPB significantly predicted adolescents’ intentions to engage in fire-risk behaviors (F(3, 193)=40.44, p<.001, R2=.386). Specifically, adolescents’ attitudes toward engaging in fire-risk behaviors (β=.46, p<.001) and the social pressure they perceived from others (e.g., parents, friends; β=.19, p<.01) emerged as significant predictors of their intentions to engage in fire-risk behaviors. These results suggest that youth who had positive attitudes (e.g., engaging in fire-risk behaviors is fun) towards fire-risk behaviors and who believed significant others would approve of them engaging in fire-risk behaviors tended to have more intentions to engage in these behaviors. The TPB was able to account for the variance in adolescents’ intentions over and above several control/background variables (e.g., SES, gender), with the exception of rebellious behavior (β=.25, p<0.05). Results from this study can be used to inform the design of effective and targeted fire and burn prevention programs aimed specifically at adolescents.