The transitional phase between childhood and adulthood is a stage in human development and growth commonly described as adolescence. This stage begins at the age of around 11 to 13 years with the start of puberty which means the development of the reproductive processes. In the United States, adolescence is defined as the age span of 10 to 24 years (Edelman, Mandle & Kudzma, 2014). Unlike childhood stages where growth is slow and steady, adolescence is a period characterized by rapid changes in cognitive, physical, psychosocial, moral and spiritual growth as the shift from childhood to young adulthood takes place. This is also a very critical period in which their emerging autonomy contributes to adventuresome behaviors and situations.
Some of the factors that contribute to risk-taking behaviors and situations during adolescence include the psychological and cognitive alterations that adolescence experience. For example, since they are undergoing health patterns and habits changes that are likely to last a lifetime, their adherence to health promotion strategies as well as disease prevention may be affected. From various studies, it is evident that adolescents rarely consider health risks their behaviors may expose them to as they have a general sense of invulnerability or immunity to injuries or illness (Edelman, Mandle & Kudzma, 2014). Adolescents are also largely influenced by their peers to take part in risk behaviors such as alcohol use, having unprotected sex, dangerous driving, tobacco and other drugs abuse and rejecting parental inputs or advice. Another factor associated with adolescents’ risk-taking behavior is the intolerance to things as they are, this is a behavioral expression in which teens conceptualize their own ways on how things should be or might be to a certain extent than how they are. With such conceptualizations, they will come up or think on complex ways of realizing the changes (Edelman, Mandle & Kudzma, 2014). By so doing, they might engage in risk behaviors which they would not have otherwise taught of in absence of their conceptualizations.
In conclusion, stress cannot be ruled out as a contributing factor to risk taking behavior among the adolescents. According to a study by the American Psychological Association (2013) on stress in America, Millennials reported highest levels of stress with work being the significant cause of stress. In relation to risk-taking behaviors among adolescents, stressed adolescents are more likely to take risks such as homicides, suicides and risky driving than their unstressed counterparts.
References
American Psychological Association. (2013). Stress in America™: Missing the Health Care Connection. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2012/full-report.pdf
Edelman, C., Mandle, C. L., & Kudzma, E. C. (2014). Health promotion throughout the life span (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
