2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
The Effects of Cultural and Environmental Factors on Adolescents' Health-Endangering Behaviors.
Project/Area Number |
15530450
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
Section | 一般 |
Research Field |
Clinical psychology
|
Research Institution | Ochanomizu University (2004-2005) Kyoto University of Education (2003) |
Principal Investigator |
OMORI Mika Ochanomizu University, Department of Psychology, Associate Professor, 文教育学部, 助教授 (50312806)
|
Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2005
|
Keywords | Health-Endangering Behaviors / adolescence / cross-national comparison b / w US & JP / self-construal / risk perception / contextual factors |
Research Abstract |
The current study was designed to investigate the role of cultural and environmental factors on adolescents' health-endangering behaviors. A cross-national study was conducted to explore psychosocial factors responsible for smoking behaviors. The study participants were 844 American high school students (9^<th> to 12^<th> graders) and 734 Japanese students (9^<th> to 12^<th> graders). The survey results demonstrated that the proportion of lifetime smokers was higher in Japanese compared to Americans (32% and 23%, respectively). The proportion of parents who smoke were higher among Japanese. Scores on self-related variables such as self-enhancement and self-concepts were higher among American students, which support previous studies. Correlations between self-esteem and risk perception were not observed. Concerning health beliefs on smoking, Americans were more likely to have negative beliefs. When comparing smokers to non-smokers of the American sample, it was found that smokers perceive more benefits than risks for health-endangering behaviors.
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Research Products
(3 results)