Behavioral and psychosocial influences of risk perception among Hungarian adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
The main goal of the present study was to assess adolescents' risk perception, namely, their estimates of the likelihood of smoking and alcohol-related illnesses and accidents.


METHODS
The survey was conducted among high school students in Szeged (N = 560, aged between 14-19 years; mean: 16.7; S.D.: 1.4 years). The self-administered questionnaire contained items on sociodemographics, risk perception, health risk behaviors, and certain psychosocial variables.


RESULTS
Being a male was associated with risk perception only in terms of alcohol-related illnesses. Smokers, alcohol users, and those who engaged in reckless transportation, evaluated themselves as being at higher risk for substance related illnesses and accidents compared to those who did not report such behaviors. Those who tended to use a seat belt, however, estimated the same amount of risk for an accident as did those who tended not to use them. Social attitudes tended to positively, whereas personal attitudes tended to negatively influence perceptions of health risks. The role of social comparison and self-efficacy, however, depends on the nature of behavior.


CONCLUSIONS
Besides behavioral influences, psychosocial variables also play a role in adolescents' risk perception.
Piko
Bettina F
BF
Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Sciences, University of Szeged, Hungary. pikobettina@yahoo.com
Gibbons
Frederick X
FX
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D008297:Male; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors