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PEER PRESSURE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ADOLESCENT RISK BEHAVIORS
Author(s) -
Olivera Knežević Florić,
Aleksandra Pavlović,
Stefan Ninković
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
teme
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1820-7804
pISSN - 0353-7919
DOI - 10.22190/teme200712076k
Subject(s) - peer pressure , psychology , logistic regression , peer influence , peer group , academic achievement , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , social psychology , medicine
Understanding the factors associated with adolescent risk behaviors is an important research topic in Serbia. The aim of this study was to examine whether peer pressure and academic achievement predict adolescent risk behaviours such as cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol, marijuana use and unprotected sex. The data was collected from 181 (68% female) second-grade students of two secondary schools. The questionnaire for assessing peer pressure, risk behaviors, as well as socio-demographic variables was applied. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the perceived peer pressure and academic achievement both predict various types of risky behaviors among adolescents. The findings of this study can have implications for improving the prevention of risk-taking behaviors in adolescence.