Evaluating the Role of “Nothing to Lose” Attitudes on Risky Behavior in Adolescence

This article examines the extent to which adolescents' expectations about their future in terms of health and education affect their risk-taking behavior. With data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Healthy we test the theory that a “nothing to lose” attitude about the future p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSocial forces Vol. 80; no. 3; pp. 1005 - 1039
Main Authors Harris, Kathleen Mullan, Duncan, Greg J., Boisjoly, Johanne
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chapel Hill, NC The University of North Carolina Press 01.03.2002
University of North Carolina Press
Oxford University Press
Subjects
Adolescence
Adolescent Attitudes
Adolescent Behavior
Adolescents
Adults
At risk youth
Attitudes
Beliefs, opinions and attitudes
Criminal sociology. Police. Delinquency. Deviance. Suicide
Drug abuse
Drug Trafficking
Drug use
Drugs
Education
Educational Environment
Expectation
Expectations
Family background
Family Influence
Family structure
Future Orientations
Graduate schools
Health
Health Behavior
Health education
Human sexual behavior
Longitudinal studies
Measurement
Mental health
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
Parents
Participation
Peer Influence
Predictor Variables
Predictors
Psychological aspects
Recklessness
Risk
Risk behaviour
Risk perception
Risk taking
Risk Taking Behavior
Risk-taking (Psychology)
Secondary School Students
Sexual Behavior
Sexual behaviour
Sexual intercourse
Sexuality
Single mothers
Social aspects
Social Background
Social Environment
Sociology
Sociology of law and criminology
Student Attitudes
Teenagers
U.S.A
USA
Violence
Weapons
Young people
Youth
United States Of America
United States
United States > US
Firearm
Juvenile Delinquency
Sexual Behavior
Behaviour
Violence
Adolescent
Mental Health
Drug smuggling
Hazard
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Summary:This article examines the extent to which adolescents' expectations about their future in terms of health and education affect their risk-taking behavior. With data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Healthy we test the theory that a “nothing to lose” attitude about the future predicts greater involvement in risky behaviors involving early sexual intercourse, selling drugs, and weapon use. We examine the effects of both individual- and school-level conditions. Results provide mixed support for our “nothing to lose” hypothesis. We do find noteworthy school-level effects of “school climate,” including aggregate expectations, mental health, and the prevalence of single-mother families, that influence adolescent risk-taking behavior more than school measures of SES.
Bibliography:Direct all correspondence to Kathleen Mullan Harris, Carolina Population Center, CB# 8120, University Square, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.
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We are grateful to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for supporting Harris through grant 1 P01 HD31921-01 as part of the Add Health project, a program project designed by J. Richard Udry (PI) and Peter Bearman, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 to the Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with cooperative funding participation of seventeen other federal agencies. We also acknowledge support to Harris and Duncan through the Family and Child Well-being Research Network, grants 1 U01 HD37558-01 and 2 U01 HD30947-07, of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. We are grateful to Larry Wu, Dick Udry, Jacque Eccles, and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.
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ISSN:0037-7732
1534-7605
DOI:10.1353/sof.2002.0008