A Mixed-Methods Approach to Refining and Measuring the Construct of Positive Risk-Taking in Adolescence.
Megan W PattersonLilla PivnickFrank D MannAndrew D GrotzingerKathryn C MonahanLaurence D SteinbergBenjamin OosterhoffJennifer L TackettElliot M Tucker-DrobK Paige HardenPublished in: Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence (2022)
Adolescence is a peak period for risk-taking, but research has largely overlooked positive manifestations of adolescent risk-taking due to ambiguity regarding operationalization and measurement of positive risk-taking. We address this limitation using a mixed-methods approach. We elicited free responses from contemporary college students (N = 74, M age = 20.1 years) describing a time they took a risk. Qualitative analysis informed the construction of a self-report positive risk-taking scale, which was administered to a population-based sample of adolescents (N = 1,249, M age = 16 years) for quantitative validation and examination of associations with normative and impulsive personality. Sensation seeking predicted negative and positive risk-taking, whereas extraversion and openness were predominantly related to positive risk-taking. Results provide promising evidence for a valid measure of adolescents' engagement in positive risks.