The Role of Rumination and Psychological Hardiness in Predicting High Risk Behaviors in Students

Whereas high-risk behaviors result in serious individual and social damages, identifying these behaviors and factors influencing them is highly important. In this regard, during the recent years, thinking patterns of the way these behaviors shape and persist has been investigated by the psychologists and clinicians. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the role of rumination and psychological hardiness in predicting high-risk behaviors of adolescents. 

The present research was a descriptive correlational study. The study population included all the male students studying at the first cycle of secondary school at Sarayan city in the academic year of 2019-2020, among which 205 students were selected as the sample group through convenience sampling. Ruminative Responses Scale (Nolen-Hoeksema& Morrow, 1991), Psychological Hardiness Questionnaire (Kiamarie et al., 1998) and Risky Behavior Questionnaire (Mohammadi et al., 2011) were used to gather the required data. Data were analyzed by the statistical methods of mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficient, and simultaneous multiple regression.

Results showed that there was a significant positive relationship between rumination and high-risk behaviors (P <0.001), while psychological hardiness and its components had a significant negative relationship with high-risk behaviors (P <0.001). Additionally, rumination and psychological hardiness explained 26.6% of adolescent high-risk behaviors variance (P <0.01).

Based on the results of this research, it can be concluded that reducing the subjective interpretations and modifying the psychological indicators like resilience can reduce the adolescent risky behaviors.