The role of brain–behavioral systems in predicting risky behaviors of high school students in Bojnourd

Background & objectives: Teenagers more than any other group engage in a range of risky behaviors that could be have a high price for them, their family and community. The present study aimed to investigate the role of behavioral inhibition system (BIS), behavioral activation system (BAS) and its components; fun seeking, reward response and drive in predicting risky behaviors. Materials & Methods: This research is a correlation study. The population of this study was all the students in third grade of high school. Among them 270 students were selected by multi-stage random sampling. Variables were measured using Young's Risk Behaviors Scale (YRBSS) and BIS/BAS Scale of Carver & White (1994). The data were analyzed by SPSS-19 and using Pearson correlation and multivariate regression. Results: Significant positive correlation was found between BAS, fun seeking and reward response with risky behaviors (p<0/01). There was no significant relationship between drive and BIS with risky behaviors (p>0/05). Multivariate regression analysis with enter method showed a statistically significant multiple relationship between predictor variables and the criterion variable (MR=0/23, p<0/01). The results using of stepwise method showed that among the four predictive variables, only fun seeking is significant in predicting risky behaviors (