Predicting risky behaviors in adolescents based on anxiety sensitivity and interpersonal trust with the mediation of self-acceptance

It is important to identify the causes of risky behaviors in adolescents, which may occur for different reasons. The research aimed to predict risky behaviors in adolescents based on anxiety sensitivity and interpersonal trust with the mediation of self-acceptance.Research The present study was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of the study included all adolescents aged 14 to 18 years in Tehran in the academic year of 2017-2018, from which 500 people were selected by convenience sampling from schools. The study tools included the Risky Behaviors Questionnaire by Mohammadkhani; Unconditional Self-Acceptance Questionnaire by Chamberlain & Haaga, Anxiety Sensitivity Index by Reiss et al., and Mental Toughness Questionnaire by Clough et al. (2002). For data analysis, structural equation modeling was used. The path coefficient between anxiety sensitivity and risky behaviors with the mediation of conditional acceptance (β=.074) and the path coefficient between anxiety sensitivity and risky behaviors with the mediation of unconditional acceptance (β=.087) was positive and significant. The path coefficient between interpersonal trust and risky behaviors with the mediation of conditional acceptance (β=-.034) and the path coefficient between interpersonal trust and risky behaviors with the mediation of unconditional acceptance (β=-.054) was negative and significant. The results of the present study showed that self-acceptance mediates the relationship between anxiety sensitivity and interpersonal trust with risky behaviors in adolescents. It is suggested to reduce the occurrence of risky behaviors by giving value to adolescents and creating reliable links for them. It is also suggested to pay attention to the level of anxiety sensitivity of adolescents with high-risk behavior in counseling and psychotherapy.