Risk Taking Behavior: An Evaluation in terms of Childhood Trauma and Self-Esteem

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the types and the prevalence of risk taking behavior in young adults and its relationship with childhood trauma and self-esteem. Method: Data were collected from 126 female and 73 male undergraduate university students aged 18-26 years (mean age 21.13, SD=1.63), using three standardized scales, namely, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, and Risk Taking Behavior Questionnaire. Besides these standardized measures, an informed consent form was used in order to explain the purpose of the study and the ethical issues, and a demographic information questionnaire was used to determine the characteristics of the participants. Results: The descriptive statistics revealed that the most frequent risk taking behaviors were smo king, drinking alcohol, and fighting whereas the least frequent ones were driving under the influence, and se xual abuse. The correlation analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between risk taking behavior and childhood trauma, and a negative correlation between risk taking behavior and self-esteem. The predictors of the risk taking behavior were found to be sex, age, sexual abuse, and physical abuse according to the results of the stepwise hierarchical regression analysis. Conclusion: This research indicated the relationship between risk taking behavior and childhood trauma and self-esteem. The findings were discussed in terms of their implications with references to the related literature.