A Study on Student's High-Risk Behaviors and Their Relationship with Adherence to Collective Values and Media Consumption (Case Study: Students of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University)

The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between adherence to collective values (family, religion, socio-cultural) and the use of mass media (TV, satellite, Internet, virtual social networks) with high-risk behaviors. The method employed in the study was survey research and the data were collected via a questionnaire. The statistical population of the study consisted of all students of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University during the academic year of 2016-2017 as 7000 individuals. 370 students were selected as participants from the population via the stratified sampling technique. Findings indicate that there is a significant difference of variables of gender, marital status, and socio-economic status with high risk behaviors. There is also a significant correlation of the variables of media consumption and adherence to collective values with high risk behaviors. Generally speaking, independent variables (adherence to family, religious, and socio-cultural values and the degree of use of virtual social networks) in the research regression model could explain 32% of the variations in the students’ high-risk behaviors.