Volume 21, Issue 81 (8-2021)
refahj 2021, 21(81): 195-240 |
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Partovi L. (2021). An Investigation into the Occurrence of Risky Behaviors with a Focus on Quality of Life among the Adolescents and Youth. refahj. 21(81), 195-240.
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3520-en.html
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3520-en.html
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Introduction: With the transition of mortality, simultaneously another event, called epidemiologic transition, occurs in which the causes of death change from infectious and parasitic to non-infectious and parasitic. The causes of death are usually classified into three groups: infectious and parasitic diseases, non-infectious and parasitic diseases, and injuries. Risky behaviors fall into the third category. Risky behaviors that are the result of the development and specificity of the present age, as epidemiologists have suggested, are regarded as one of the leading causes of death, and they are always on the rise. Behaviors, such as assault, murder, suicide, rape, unprotected sex resulting in AIDS, dangerous driving, smoking, alcohol and drugs abuse, risky sexual intercourse, vandalism., etc. Although the consequences of risky behaviors van be seen at the individual, family, and community levels; however, the productive population, especially the two subgroups of adolescents and the youth are the ones who are mostly at risk. According to the 2016 census, the population of 14-29 years old constitutes approximately 25% of the population of Iran. Thus, risky behaviors threaten one of the largest population subgroups, and this can jeopardize the benefits of the demographic window and reduce the life expectancy at birth. Risky behaviors, in addition to positive outcomes, such as increased zeal, increased self-esteem, and so on, can have dangerous and costly consequences to adolescents and the youth, and alter their expectations and quality of life. On the other hand, inappropriate quality of life can promote the simultaneous occurrence of risky behaviors and affect quality of life more. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of quality of life on risky behaviors among adolescents and the youth in Mahabad.
Method: A descriptive-analytical approach was used to advance the research and achieve its goals using a survey strategy. The library method was used for writing the problem statement, theoretical and research background and explaining the results of the research. In order to collect the data needed to test the hypotheses, a survey questionnaire was used. The sample included 370 adolescents and the youth 14-20 year olds who were selected using stratified random sampling and simple random sampling. Data collection tools for high-risk behaviors were the questionnaire version 2010 by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the UN quality of life questionnaire (WHOQOl - BREF). Finally, the data were analyzed by SPSS software using t-test and multivariate linear regression.
Findings: Multivariate analysis showed that factors such as quality of life and variables of sex, family life arrangements, and education level of parents had a statistically significant impact on risky behaviors. Among these, the level of father’s education and quality of life respectively play the most important role in explaining changes in risky behaviors. This study, in line with previous research, showed that boys had higher risk behavior than girls (Boys: 1.87 and girls: 1.195), and the difference was significant (). Also, there is a significant difference between the mean of risky behavior according to the categories of quality of life between boys and girls.
The average incidence of risky behavior according to the categories of living arrangements among boys and girls has a significant difference (Boys: , and girls: ,). However, the highest rates of risky behaviors have been observed for boys and girls living alone with their mothers. Another point is that the absence of a parent, especially the father, increases the occurrence of risky behaviors on the part of adolescents and the youth. The existence of parents has greatly reduced the incidence of risky behaviors.
Comparison of risky behaviors based on parents’ literacy status showed that the difference in risky behaviors of boys and girls among the illiterate and illiterate parents was statistically significant. Also, there is a significant difference in the average incidence of risky behaviors in terms of parental education among boys and girls.
The comparison of risky behaviors according to father’s literacy status showed that the mean incidence of risky behaviors among boys with illiterate and literate father was 1.316 and 1.890 and for girls with illiterate and literate father it was, 0.886 and 1.290, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the risky behaviors of boys and girls among illiterate and literate fathers (boys: and girls: ).
The results showed that the mean of quality of life was different between boys and girls (3.354 for boys and 3.462 for girls) and it was significantly lower among boys than girls (). In addition, the mean quality of life for all dimensions was lower for boys than for girls. On the other hand, this study, in line with previous research, showed a significant and inverse correlation between quality of life and risky behavior. The findings also indicate that there is a significant difference in the mean of high-risk behaviors in terms of quality of life among boys and girls (). Finally, the results show that high risk behaviors, except for two dimensions of emotion and social support, have a statistically significant inverse relationship with the rest of the dimensions of quality of life.
Discussion: Whereas the biological, psychological, and socio-cultural contexts for risky behaviors in adolescents and the youth are high, and the incidence and habit of such behaviors can significantly change one’s future life, it seems that understanding the occurrence of risky behaviors and its relation with other variables such as important variable of quality of life can be effective in policy making, planning, intervention proceedings and making institutional changes with a multidisciplinary approach to improve the quality of life and reduce risky behaviors among target groups.
In general, the occurrence of risky behavior as one of the features of the late stages of epidemiological transition is a complex and multidimensional concept and is not merely influenced by a variable in the real world, but rather by a set of individual- and institutional-level variables. Therefore, in order to better understand the occurrence of risky behaviors and to provide more effective solutions, more variables must be included in its regression equation, which necessitates further and broader studies. On the other hand,, variations in the occurrence of risky behaviors in terms of different variables imply that the occurrence of risky behavior can be reduced and prevented, and the degree of environmental safety in which risky behavior occurs, can also be upgraded.
Ethical Considerations
Authors’ contributions
This article is written by the author only.
Funding
There is no sponsor for writing this article and all costs have been paid by the author.
Conflicts of interest
In this article, the author did not observe a conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
To write this article, the author has observed all the principles of research ethics, including the use of valid and standard questionnaires, satisfaction of respondents, gaining the trust of respondents, non-distortion of data and output of processes and citation of sources used. We sincerely thank all the people who contributed to writing this article, as well as the respondents.
Introduction: With the transition of mortality, simultaneously another event, called epidemiologic transition, occurs in which the causes of death change from infectious and parasitic to non-infectious and parasitic. The causes of death are usually classified into three groups: infectious and parasitic diseases, non-infectious and parasitic diseases, and injuries. Risky behaviors fall into the third category. Risky behaviors that are the result of the development and specificity of the present age, as epidemiologists have suggested, are regarded as one of the leading causes of death, and they are always on the rise. Behaviors, such as assault, murder, suicide, rape, unprotected sex resulting in AIDS, dangerous driving, smoking, alcohol and drugs abuse, risky sexual intercourse, vandalism., etc. Although the consequences of risky behaviors van be seen at the individual, family, and community levels; however, the productive population, especially the two subgroups of adolescents and the youth are the ones who are mostly at risk. According to the 2016 census, the population of 14-29 years old constitutes approximately 25% of the population of Iran. Thus, risky behaviors threaten one of the largest population subgroups, and this can jeopardize the benefits of the demographic window and reduce the life expectancy at birth. Risky behaviors, in addition to positive outcomes, such as increased zeal, increased self-esteem, and so on, can have dangerous and costly consequences to adolescents and the youth, and alter their expectations and quality of life. On the other hand, inappropriate quality of life can promote the simultaneous occurrence of risky behaviors and affect quality of life more. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of quality of life on risky behaviors among adolescents and the youth in Mahabad.
Method: A descriptive-analytical approach was used to advance the research and achieve its goals using a survey strategy. The library method was used for writing the problem statement, theoretical and research background and explaining the results of the research. In order to collect the data needed to test the hypotheses, a survey questionnaire was used. The sample included 370 adolescents and the youth 14-20 year olds who were selected using stratified random sampling and simple random sampling. Data collection tools for high-risk behaviors were the questionnaire version 2010 by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the UN quality of life questionnaire (WHOQOl - BREF). Finally, the data were analyzed by SPSS software using t-test and multivariate linear regression.
Findings: Multivariate analysis showed that factors such as quality of life and variables of sex, family life arrangements, and education level of parents had a statistically significant impact on risky behaviors. Among these, the level of father’s education and quality of life respectively play the most important role in explaining changes in risky behaviors. This study, in line with previous research, showed that boys had higher risk behavior than girls (Boys: 1.87 and girls: 1.195), and the difference was significant (). Also, there is a significant difference between the mean of risky behavior according to the categories of quality of life between boys and girls.
The average incidence of risky behavior according to the categories of living arrangements among boys and girls has a significant difference (Boys: , and girls: ,). However, the highest rates of risky behaviors have been observed for boys and girls living alone with their mothers. Another point is that the absence of a parent, especially the father, increases the occurrence of risky behaviors on the part of adolescents and the youth. The existence of parents has greatly reduced the incidence of risky behaviors.
Comparison of risky behaviors based on parents’ literacy status showed that the difference in risky behaviors of boys and girls among the illiterate and illiterate parents was statistically significant. Also, there is a significant difference in the average incidence of risky behaviors in terms of parental education among boys and girls.
The comparison of risky behaviors according to father’s literacy status showed that the mean incidence of risky behaviors among boys with illiterate and literate father was 1.316 and 1.890 and for girls with illiterate and literate father it was, 0.886 and 1.290, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the risky behaviors of boys and girls among illiterate and literate fathers (boys: and girls: ).
The results showed that the mean of quality of life was different between boys and girls (3.354 for boys and 3.462 for girls) and it was significantly lower among boys than girls (). In addition, the mean quality of life for all dimensions was lower for boys than for girls. On the other hand, this study, in line with previous research, showed a significant and inverse correlation between quality of life and risky behavior. The findings also indicate that there is a significant difference in the mean of high-risk behaviors in terms of quality of life among boys and girls (). Finally, the results show that high risk behaviors, except for two dimensions of emotion and social support, have a statistically significant inverse relationship with the rest of the dimensions of quality of life.
Discussion: Whereas the biological, psychological, and socio-cultural contexts for risky behaviors in adolescents and the youth are high, and the incidence and habit of such behaviors can significantly change one’s future life, it seems that understanding the occurrence of risky behaviors and its relation with other variables such as important variable of quality of life can be effective in policy making, planning, intervention proceedings and making institutional changes with a multidisciplinary approach to improve the quality of life and reduce risky behaviors among target groups.
In general, the occurrence of risky behavior as one of the features of the late stages of epidemiological transition is a complex and multidimensional concept and is not merely influenced by a variable in the real world, but rather by a set of individual- and institutional-level variables. Therefore, in order to better understand the occurrence of risky behaviors and to provide more effective solutions, more variables must be included in its regression equation, which necessitates further and broader studies. On the other hand,, variations in the occurrence of risky behaviors in terms of different variables imply that the occurrence of risky behavior can be reduced and prevented, and the degree of environmental safety in which risky behavior occurs, can also be upgraded.
Ethical Considerations
Authors’ contributions
This article is written by the author only.
Funding
There is no sponsor for writing this article and all costs have been paid by the author.
Conflicts of interest
In this article, the author did not observe a conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
To write this article, the author has observed all the principles of research ethics, including the use of valid and standard questionnaires, satisfaction of respondents, gaining the trust of respondents, non-distortion of data and output of processes and citation of sources used. We sincerely thank all the people who contributed to writing this article, as well as the respondents.
Type of Study: orginal |
Received: 2019/11/15 | Accepted: 2021/02/15 | Published: 2021/09/14
Received: 2019/11/15 | Accepted: 2021/02/15 | Published: 2021/09/14
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