The Relation between Students’ Mental Health and Tendency toward Risky Behavior in Pishva, Iran

Risky behaviors can cause severe damage in communities. These behaviors are more common among the youth. This study aimed to investigate the mental factors associated with high-risk behaviors among university students in Tehran province, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on students selected using multistage sampling from different faculties in 2014-2015. In total, 477 students completed the Youth Risk-Taking Scale and Mental Health Inventory-28. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear regression.

Psychological well-being had a significant negative correlation with the tendency to risky behavior (P < 0.001). There was a strong significant correlation between psychological distress and smoking, drinking, and sexual risk-taking. This study revealed that students with a higher level of psychological well-being were less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as sexual risk-taking, careless driving, violence, smoking, and alcohol and drug abuse (P < 0.001).

The results of this study showed that mental health promotion can decrease risky behaviors among youths in Iran.