Irrational Beliefs and Tendency to Risky Behaviors (Case Study of Youth and Adolescents in Kashan)

Committing risky behaviors poses a threat to health and risks to the future of individuals and society. Irrational thoughts play a disruptive role in people's interpretation and evaluation of life realities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect and relationship between irrational and dysfunctional beliefs and the tendency to risky behaviors among young people and adolescents in Kashan.

The research method used in the present study was a survey and the statistical sample of the study was 552 young people and adolescents in Kashan based on Cochran's formula and possible sampling method appropriate to the volume was selected as the final sample. The reliability of the questionnaire was based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient and its validity was based on the opinions of academic experts. Pearson correlation test and paired T-test using SPSS 25 software were used for inferential analysis and relationship between independent and dependent variables.

The findings of this study indicate that the tendency of youth and adolescents to risky behaviors is moderate and boys are more inclined to risky behaviors than girls. Also, the results of hypothesis testing showed that there was a significant and positive relationship between degrading risky behaviors, feeling good and misconceptions with risky behaviors.

Risky behaviors are more than economic problems and unemployment, disorganization in various areas of the family, social and environmental institutions. When the mental and psychological structure of individuals is unbalanced and exposed to irrational ideas and beliefs, this unfavorable psychological background in the context of unbalanced social characteristics intensifies the tendency to risky behaviors.