Comparison of High Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents of Military & Unmilitary Families

Due to egocentrism and misapprehension of adolescents to their behaviors, adolescence is considered as an important phase for beginning high risk behaviors. This study aimed to comparison of high risk behaviors among military and unmilitary families’ adolescents.
In this cross-sectional study, 1251 female and male adolescents of military & unmilitary families were selected through cluster sampling method and were assessed by Iranian Adolescent Risk-Taking Scale (IARS). Data was analyzed with SPSS-19 and using descriptive statistics and independent sample T-test.
According to study results, 23.4 percent’s of adolescents of military families’ and 26.4 percent’s of adolescents of unmilitary families were at high risk of risky driving. Furthermore 19.8 percent’s of the adolescents of military and 26.2 percent’s of adolescents of unmilitary were at high risk in sexual relationship, 7.7 percent’s of military and 12.7 percent’s of adolescents of unmilitary in aggression, 5.5 percent’s of adolescents of military and 9.6 percent’s of adolescents of unmilitary in alcohol use, 7 percent’s of adolescents of military and 7.3 percent’s of adolescents of unmilitary in cigarette use and 2.7 percent’s of adolescents of military and 3.7 percent’s of adolescents of unmilitary in drug abuse.
According to the results of this study, there was a significant difference between adolescents of military families’ and adolescents of unmilitary families’ in high risk behavior. The two risky behaviors of driving and sexual behavior which are highly prevalent are as essential as addiction for adolescents’ health. It seems necessary to perform preventing programs for school age children and to provide adolescents and their parents with proper instructions about high risk behaviors.