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Risky behaviour: a new framework for understanding why young people take risks

  • Lauren Graham
    ,
  • Lucy Jordan
    ,
  • Aisha Hutchinson
    ,
  • Nicole de Wet
Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Open access

Abstract

Theories of youth risk taking range from the realist to the sociocultural. Much of this theorising, particularly in the field of epidemiology, has been strongly influenced by the Health Belief Framework. More recently, attention has shifted to understanding how young people perceive risk and what makes some of them resilient to risk taking. In this article we develop a framework that brings together diverse theoretical perspectives on youth risk taking. We draw on lessons from across the social science disciplines to inform a conceptual framework incorporating the broad context and internal processes of young people’s decisions to take risks. Our Youth Risk Interpretation Framework (Y-RIF) has been developed from insights gained during an ethnographic study conducted in South Africa (REMOVED FOR BLIND REVIEW). We argue that our framework is useful, as it offers new ways of understanding why some young people take risks while others are more cautious. It could be used to inform youth behaviour surveillance research and interventions. However, it will need to be rigorously tested.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 324-339

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Journal of Youth Studies (Volume 21, Issue 3)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 21/09/2017

Publication status

Published - 21/09/2017

ISSN

1367-6261

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/622214
  • Scopus: 85029702565

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