Social Support, Self-Control, Religiousness and Engagement in High Risk-Behaviors among Adolescents

This research explored links between social support, self-control, religiousness and engagement in risk-behaviors among adolescents in Palestine. Results found that higher scores on social support correlated with lower scores on risk behaviors, while higher levels of self-control were correlated with lower scores on specific behaviors including drinking, smoking and drug use. Higher scores on religiousness were correlated with lower levels of drinking, drug use and premature sexual activity. While the parameters of the factors must be discovered, the implications of these findings for research are ample and include not only the mechanism of the relationships but how to enhance the protective factors in potentially disenfranchised youth in Palestine.