Risk Perception and Risk-Taking Behaviour during Adolescence: The Influence of Personality and Gender

This study investigated the influence of personality characteristics and gender on adolescents’ perception of risk and their risk-taking behaviour. Male and female participants (157 females: 116 males, aged 13–20) completed self-report measures on risk perception, risk-taking and personality. Male participants perceived behaviours as less risky, reportedly took more risks, were less sensitive to negative outcomes and less socially anxious than female participants. Path analysis identified a model in which age, behavioural inhibition and impulsiveness directly influenced risk perception, while age, social anxiety, impulsiveness, sensitivity to reward, behavioural inhibition and risk perception itself were directly or indirectly associated with risk-taking behaviour. Age and behavioural inhibition had direct relationships with social anxiety, and reward sensitivity was associated with impulsiveness. The model was representative for the whole sample and male and female groups separately. The observed relationship between age and social anxiety and the influence this may have on risk-taking behaviour could be key for reducing adolescent risk-taking behaviour. Even though adolescents may understand the riskiness of their behaviour and estimate their vulnerability to risk at a similar level to adults, factors such as anxiety regarding social situations, sensitivity to reward and impulsiveness may exert their influence and make these individuals prone to taking risks. If these associations are proven causal, these factors are, and will continue to be, important targets in prevention and intervention efforts.

本研究探讨了人格特质与性别对青少年风险感知及冒险行为的影响。研究招募男女参与者共计273名（女性157名、男性116名，年龄区间为13-20岁），所有参与者完成了针对风险感知、冒险行为与人格的自评量表。结果显示，相较于女性参与者，男性评定的行为风险更低，自我报告的冒险行为更多，对负面结果的敏感性更低，且社交焦虑程度更弱。路径分析构建的模型表明：年龄、行为抑制与冲动性直接影响风险感知；年龄、社交焦虑、冲动性、奖赏敏感性、行为抑制以及风险感知本身，均与冒险行为存在直接或间接关联；年龄与行为抑制对社交焦虑具有直接影响，奖赏敏感性与冲动性存在显著关联。该模型在总样本以及男女分组样本中均具有良好的适配性。年龄与社交焦虑间的关联，及其对冒险行为的潜在影响，或是降低青少年冒险行为的关键突破口。尽管青少年对自身行为风险的认知，以及对自身风险易感性的评估水平可与成年人相近，但社交情境焦虑、奖赏敏感性与冲动性等因素仍可能发挥作用，使青少年更易出现冒险行为。若上述关联被证实为因果关系，则这些因素将成为并将持续成为预防与干预工作的重要靶标。