Premium
Cultural Bases of Risk Behavior: Danish Adolescents
Author(s) -
Arnett Jeffrey,
BalleJensen Lene
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.1993.tb04217.x
Subject(s) - socialization , danish , psychology , sensation seeking , context (archaeology) , developmental psychology , injury prevention , poison control , human factors and ergonomics , suicide prevention , cultural influence , demography , social environment , social psychology , environmental health , medicine , personality , linguistics , philosophy , paleontology , social science , sociology , political science , law , biology
Risk behavior was investigated among 1,053 Danish adolescents aged 12–20. Driving a car while intoxicated was rare even among the oldest adolescents, but riding a bicycle while intoxicated was reported by the majority of adolescents aged 14–20. Driving a car at high speeds was widespread among the oldest adolescents (aged 18–20), but still lower than rates reported for same‐age American adolescents. Rates of sex without contraception were higher than expected, in spite of early and extensive sex education, while rates of illegal drug use other than marijuana were extremely low. Participation in risk behavior was analyzed in relation to sensation seeking, city size, and various family variables. Results are discussed in the context of the theory of broad and narrow socialization, in which a cultural and multidimensional understanding of socialization is emphasized.