ORIGINAL PAPER
Risk and health-promoting behaviours in adolescents with different temperamental profiles
Submission date: 2017-03-06
Final revision date: 2017-05-23
Acceptance date: 2017-06-02
Online publication date: 2017-10-13
Publication date: 2017-10-13
Health Psychology Report 2018;6(1):75-80
KEYWORDS
temperamentadolescentsRisk behaviourshealth promoting behavioursrisk behavioursheath-promoting behaviours
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background
While temperamental traits have been shown to be an important predictor of risk behaviour, much less attention has been paid to health-promoting behaviour. The concept of temperamental profiles as individual compositions of traits allows the formulation of predictions concerning differences in such behaviours. This study aimed to find differences in engaging in risk and health-promoting behaviours in adolescents with different temperamental profiles that represented individuals differing in stimulation regulation.
Methods
A group of 345 adolescents, 196 female and 149 male aged 18-19 years, completed questionnaires measuring engagement in risk and health-promoting behaviours as well as temperamental traits. Participants were then assigned by means of cluster analysis to four groups with different temperamental trait profiles. Aggregated scores of risk and health behaviours were used based on the frequency of occurrence.
Results
Adolescents characterised by a non-resilient temperamental profile engaged both in risk and health-promoting behaviours less frequently than those characterised by other profiles. Gender-related differences in health promoting behaviours were also found. Female participants reported engaging in health-promoting behaviours more frequently than male participants.
Conclusions
Compositions of temperamental traits identified by means of cluster analysis can explain to some extent differences in engaging in risky and health-promoting behaviours in adolescents.
While temperamental traits have been shown to be an important predictor of risk behaviour, much less attention has been paid to health-promoting behaviour. The concept of temperamental profiles as individual compositions of traits allows the formulation of predictions concerning differences in such behaviours. This study aimed to find differences in engaging in risk and health-promoting behaviours in adolescents with different temperamental profiles that represented individuals differing in stimulation regulation.
Methods
A group of 345 adolescents, 196 female and 149 male aged 18-19 years, completed questionnaires measuring engagement in risk and health-promoting behaviours as well as temperamental traits. Participants were then assigned by means of cluster analysis to four groups with different temperamental trait profiles. Aggregated scores of risk and health behaviours were used based on the frequency of occurrence.
Results
Adolescents characterised by a non-resilient temperamental profile engaged both in risk and health-promoting behaviours less frequently than those characterised by other profiles. Gender-related differences in health promoting behaviours were also found. Female participants reported engaging in health-promoting behaviours more frequently than male participants.
Conclusions
Compositions of temperamental traits identified by means of cluster analysis can explain to some extent differences in engaging in risky and health-promoting behaviours in adolescents.
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