The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem: The Effects of Social Support and Subjective Well-Being on Adolescents’ Risky Behaviors

Abstract

Adolescence is defined as a confusion against developing period by Erikson, the genital period by Freud, and the formal operations period by Piaget (as cited in Slavin, 2012). During this period, whilst adolescents attempt to discover themselves, they begin searching for new roles that may help them to discover their sexual, social, and professional identities. The formation of an adolescent's identity is a far more important event than identifications during previous periods (Erikson, 1993). Adolescents may spend more time alone contemplating ideas and trying to clarify their values, beliefs, and direction in life (Vernon, 2004). Additionally, different areas of developmental changes, such as psychology, cognition, and social status, can contribute to their engagement in risky behaviors (Steinberg, 2004). According to Steinberg (2007), adolescents may be impulsive and display sensation-seeking behaviors due to their inability to completely control their inhibitions and emotions, whereas others may exhibit such behavior because of a desire for autonomy from parental control (Dolcini & Adler, 1994) or peer influence and pressure (Gardner & Steinberg, 2005; Jessor, 1991).The conceptualization of risky behaviors among adolescents has incorporated many approaches. For example, the developmental approach examines adolescents' risky behaviors as behaviors that contribute to an adolescent's life, which emerge after the individual developmentally enters the period of adolescence. Risk-taking provides an adolescent the opportunity to gain characteristics that are included in the developmental tasks of adolescence, such as recognizing the self (Scott, 2004). Risk-taking meets the requirements of autonomy, gaining experience, and intimacy in the development process (Irwin & Millstein, 1990); as a developmental characteristic, egocentrism emerges among adolescents and this is a natural outcome (Erden & Akman, 2008). Through risk-taking, adolescents become aware of their role as a member of a wider community and their own maturity. In this way, it is also possible to understand risk-taking behavior by means of the friend and peer culture (Lightfoot, 1997).Adolescent problem behaviors/risky behaviors include tobacco use, alcohol abuse or other illicit drug use, risky driving (Arnett, 2000; Jessor, 1991), having unprotected sex, (Arnett, 2000; Lerner 2002), early sexual intercourse, aggression (Jessor, 1991), substance abuse (Lerner, 2002), delinquency behaviors (Arnett, 2000; Jessor, 1991; Lerner, 2002), school failure or dropping out, crime/violence (Lerner, 2002), and impulsive sensation seeking (Donohew et al., 2000). Jessor, Turbin, and Costa (1998) defined risk-taking as behaviors as functional, purposeful and mediating one's objective. In Problem-Behavior Theory, Jessor (1991) described the relationship of psychosocial protective and risk factors by the involvement in various adolescent problem behaviors. Protective factors decrease the likelihood of engaging in problematic behaviors. In other words, if an adolescent focuses on the benefit of a problematic behavior, the possibility of exhibiting that behavior, namely the risk- taking possibility of an adolescent, is high. As Romer (2003) stated, despite views that support the fact that adolescents do not think of the negative consequences of risk, adolescents do in fact recognize these consequences, but are focused more on the positive outcomes they expect to receive.Literature concerning variables related to adolescents' risky behaviors indicate that social support functions as a buffer, protecting the individual against stress sources in life. Whilst social support is effective in helping individuals cope with stressful life events (Callaghan & Morrissey, 1993; Shonkoff, 1984) and is effective in overcoming psychological problems (Lara, Leader, & Klein, 1998), poor family connections tend to lead to low self-esteem and increased levels of hopelessness and suicidal ideation in adolescence and early adulthood (McGee, Williams, & Nada-Raja, 2001). …