Sensation Seeking, Peer Influence, and Risk-Taking Behavior in Adolescents

Abstract

This research was conducted to explore the relationship between sensation seeking, peer influence, and risk-taking behavior in adolescents and moderating role of peer influence for sensation seeking and risk-taking behavior. A sample comprised 200 adolescents with age range 10–18 years (M = 17.57, SD = 0.98). Assessment measures included Resistance to Peer Influence Scale (Steinberg and Silverberg (1986)), Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (Prinstein et al. (2003)), and Stimulating and Instrumental Risk questionnaire (Ravert et al. (2009)) and a demographic information sheet. Findings of Pearson product moment analysis revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between sensation seeking and risk-taking behavior in adolescents and there was a significant positive relationship between peer influences and risk-taking behavior in adolescents. Gender differences were observed; male participants scored higher on sensation seeking and risk-taking behavior than female participants, but on peer influence, females scored higher than males. Moderation analysis through hierarchical regression was conducted and findings of this analysis revealed that sensation seeking positively predicted risk-taking behavior and peer influences also positively predicted risk-taking behavior in adolescents but no interaction effect was observed between sensation seeking and peer influence in predicting risk-taking behavior. Moreover, subscales of sensation seeking, i.e., adventure seeking and disinhibition, predicted risk-taking behavior. Results are discussed in terms of their implications.