Psychosocial Maturity and Risk-Taking in Emerging Adults: Extending Our Understanding Beyond Delinquency

Abstract

Risk-taking behaviors in adolescence and emerging adulthood are highly prevalent and come with far-reaching social, health, and safety implications. Understanding the factors influencing these behaviors remains an important priority. Psychosocial maturity (PSM) is known to influence one type of risk-taking: delinquency. This study examined how PSM relates to (1) broader risk-taking behaviors in emerging adulthood and (2) risk-taking style across domains (e.g., social and recreational risk) to explore if PSM may be an appropriate target for future risk-reduction interventions. Emerging adults ( N = 538) completed measures of PSM, recent risky behavior, and risk-taking style in various domains. All aspects of PSM were related to different risk-taking styles, but only temperance (impulsivity) was consistently associated with various behaviors (e.g., alcohol consumed, distracted driving, and delinquency). Implications for prevention, intervention, and policy are discussed.