Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | Are parents aware of their adolescents' risky behaviors? A diary study among families |
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| Contribution code | D1.041 |
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| Form of presentation | Poster |
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| Abstract |
Aims: This study investigated parents' awareness of their adolescents' daily risky behaviors and examined differences between mothers' and fathers' knowledge. This is a crucial and understudied topic, which is pivotal for ‘just in time’ prevention of adolescents risk taking in real-life. We hypothesized that there would be discrepancies between adolescents' reports and parents' perceptions, and that mothers would demonstrate greater awareness than fathers. Methods: We conducted a diary study with 153 triads of adolescents (aged 15-19) and their parents in Israel. The sample included families collected before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants completed daily questionnaires for one week, reporting on the adolescents' engagement in risky behaviors. We targeted a broad base of risky behaviors, including reckless driving, substance abuse, aggression and unprotected sex. Each behavior was dichotomized for either happened or not that day. To capture congruence between parent and child report on daily risk taking a gap score was calculated for each behavior. Results and Conclusions: Adolescents generally reported low engagement in risky behaviors, with the most frequent behaviors were school truancy and falling beyond school work. Parents tended to underestimate their adolescents' involvement across all risk taking domains, and especially substance abuse and un protected sex. Mothers reported higher levels of adolescents’ risky behaviors compared to fathers, particularly for sons. These results highlight the importance of improving parent-adolescent communication regarding trisk taking and developing targeted interventions to promote adolescent safety. Future research should include observations and in-depth interviews to unravel signs of risks among youth and communication patterns on risk taking within families. |