Predictors of Risk-Taking Among Female Students in Esfarayen in 2023: An Application of Self-Regulation Theory

Background: Today, the prevalence of risky behaviors among adolescents is considered an important concern that can threaten their health. Various factors can affect risk-taking, and one of the most important factors is excitement. According to the role of self-regulation theory in the regulation of emotions, this study was conducted to determine factors affecting the risk-taking of female students. Methods: The current cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 on 300 first high school female students who were selected by a multi-stage sampling method. The data collection tools included a demographic information questionnaire, a risk-taking questionnaire for Iranian adolescents, and a questionnaire to measure the strategies of self-regulation theory. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney tests, Spearman correlation analysis, Kruskal-Wallis, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis by SPSS. The level of significance in all tests was considered to be P<0.05. Results: The mean (standard deviation) of the risk-taking score was 70.56 (±22.97). There was a significant direct relationship between the variables of educational background, history of violent behavior, experience of anger and emotions, and history of depression with risk-taking (P<0.05). Moreover, a direct and significant correlation was found between risk-taking and age (r=0.168, P<0.001) and self-reflection (r=0.467, P<0.001). There was an inverse and significant correlation between risk-taking with goal-setting (r=-0.386, P<0.001), self-monitoring (r=-0.436, P<0.001), and evaluation and judging performance (r=-0.649, P<0.001). The results of multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the evaluation and judgment of the performance had a significant negative relationship and were the strongest predictors of risk-taking among female students (β=-0.434, P<0.001). Self-regulatory strategies predicted 52.2% of students’ risk-taking in total (β=-0.434 , R2=0.525 , P<0.001). Conclusion: Risk-taking can be significantly affected by self-reflection, self-monitoring, evaluation, and judging performance. It is suggested that educational interventions be designed based on self-regulation theory strategies with an emphasis on evaluation and judgment of the performance to reduce students’ risk-taking and empower them to face risky behaviors.