Adolescent risk-taking likelihood, risk perceptions, and benefit perceptions across domains

Abstract

Adolescents are often described as notorious risk-takers. However, adolescents do not always take risks and risk-taking may vary across risk-taking domains. Furthermore, there are large individual differences. Certain clinical groups, such as adolescents with ADHD, may be more likely to take risks. In two studies we examined these domain-specific and individual differences using the adolescent Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT)-questionnaire, which assesses adolescents’ self-reported risk-taking likelihood, perceptions of risk, and perceptions of benefits (‘returns’). Furthermore, we examined how risk-taking likelihood is informed by risk- and benefit-perceptions, i.e., ‘risk-return’ weighing. In a community-sample study (N=361, 12-25 years), we tested the domain-specificity across age, and observed a peak in risk-taking likelihood in late adolescence in the Health-Safety domain only. Perceived benefits were heightened, and perceived risks attenuated, in mid-to-late adolescence for Health-Safety, Recreational, and Ethical risks. In a second study, we compared boys with ADHD (N=81) and controls (N=99; 12-20 years). Adolescents with ADHD rated higher risk-taking likelihoods for Social risks only. Risk-return models in both studies revealed that effects of perceived risks (Health-Safety) and benefits (Recreational) on risk-taking likelihood were most pronounced and varied across age. Together, adolescents’ risk-taking likelihood is impacted by risks and returns, age-related differences, and should be studied domain-specifically.

Authors 11

1. Neeltje E. Blankenstein corresponding Aachen Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychosocial Care, Amsterdam Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands

2. Jorien van Hoorn Aachen Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University · Levvel

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands

   Levvel, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Specialized Youthcare, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

3. Tycho J. Dekkers

   University Medical Center Groningen · University of Groningen · Accare · Levvel · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · University of Amsterdam · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Accare Child Study Center, Groningen, The Netherlands

   Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychosocial Care, Amsterdam Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129 B, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Levvel, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Specialized Youthcare, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

   University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, the Netherlands

4. Arne Popma

   Levvel · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam · Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychosocial Care , Amsterdam Medical Center , Vrije Universiteit , De Boelelaan 1117 , 1081 HV Amsterdam , The Netherlands

   Levvel , Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Specialized Youthcare , Amsterdam , the Netherlands

   Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychosocial Care, Amsterdam Medical Center, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands

   Levvel, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Specialized Youthcare, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

5. Brenda R. J. Jansen

   University of Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Developmental Psychology , University of Amsterdam , Nieuwe Achtergracht 129 B , 1018 WS Amsterdam , The Netherlands

   Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129 B, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands

6. Elke U. Weber

   Princeton University

   Affiliation as printed

   Princeton University

   Princeton University, Department of Psychology, Princeton, NJ 08540,USA

7. Yehuda Pollak

   Hebrew University of Jerusalem

   Affiliation as printed

   The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , The Seymour Fox School of Education , Israel

   The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Seymour Fox School of Education, Israel

8. Bernd Figner

   Radboud University Nijmegen · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour

   Affiliation as printed

   Radboud University , Behavioural Science Institute and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour , Thomas van Aquinostraat 4 , 6525 GD Nijmegen , The Netherlands

   Radboud University, Behavioural Science Institute and Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Thomas van Aquinostraat 4, 6525 GD Nijmegen, The Netherlands

9. Eveline A. Crone Aachen Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

   Leiden University · Erasmus University Rotterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands

   Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Burg. Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

   Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands

10. Hilde M. Huizenga

    University of Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Developmental Psychology , University of Amsterdam , Nieuwe Achtergracht 129 B , 1018 WS Amsterdam , The Netherlands

    Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129 B, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands

11. Anna C. K. van Duijvenvoorde Aachen Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition

    Leiden University

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands

    Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands