Fatemeh Soltanifar, Atefeh Rezaie, Mehdi Tavallae,
Volume 16, Issue 1 (6-2022)
Abstract
Risky behavior among adolescents is a common problem requiring attention and preventive interventions. Numerous studies support the contribution of cognitive and emotional deficits in the tendency to high-risk behaviors. This study aimed to predict risk-taking behaviors through decision-making styles and difficulty in emotion regulation among female adolescents. For this purpose, 200 high school students (Mage = 15. 23, SD = 1. 00) were selected via a stratified random sampling method. Participants completed the Iranian Adolescence Risk-taking Scale (IARS), General Decision-Making Style (GDMS) questionnaire, and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Findings indicated that risky behaviors significantly correlated with difficulty in emotion regulation. In addition, high-risk behaviors demonstrated a positive correlation with spontaneous decision-making and a negative correlation with rational decision-making style. The results of multiple linear regression analysis revealed the significant role of decision-making styles and difficulty in emotion regulation in predicting high-risk behaviors. Practical implications and future areas of study are discussed.