What Exactly Are Risky Behaviors In Teens?
By Zeina Moukarzel
MD-Anesthesiologist, Critical Care Physician, General Physician, Addiction Medicine
Reading Time:
1 minute
A risky behavior is an action that may result in bad, unwanted or fatal consequence
Adolescence period is a critical and threatening time for the development and maturity of a person, at all dimensions, physically, cognitively, mentally, emotionally, and socially. Thus, engaging in risky behaviors, in absence of counseling and enhancement of protective factors, will increase even more the risk of abnormal growth and maturity.
Five categories of risky behaviors in teens are identified:
- Unsafe driving: texting, mailing while driving; not using seat belt; driving under the effects of alcohol or drugs; ride with a friend who is drunk himself or have used drugs. It could be also riding a bike or skateboard, etc., without a helmet
- Alcohol (binge drinking), tobacco, cannabis and other psychotropic substances use (legal, prescriptions or illegal)
- Unsafe sexual relations: not using protection, with the risk of unwanted pregnancies and transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, like HIV*, Hepatitis B, etc. This is particularly frequent under the effect of alcohol and other drugs
- Violence, verbal (bullying) or physical (fight, self-harm, etc.): which may be lead to injuries, sometimes fatal
- Poor self-care: lack of exercise, unhealthy diet, not getting enough sleep, excessive time on social media and screen
*HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (virus of AIDS)
