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Risk-taking behavior includes alcohol and drug use, delinquency, acts of aggression, sexual activity, and so on. Many studies have explored the relationship between adolescents and risk-taking behavior; however, only a few studies have examined this link in adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The purpose of the present study was to address that limitation by comparing the risk-taking behavior of adolescents with LD (n = 230), with comorbid LD/ADHD (n = 92), and without LD or ADHD (n = 322) on their substance use, engagement in major and minor delinquency, acts of aggression, sexual activity, and gambling activities. The study also investigated whether psychosocial variables (e.g., well-being) may act as mediating variables that help explain between-group differences. Results suggest that it is a combination of the LD and the secondary psychosocial characteristics that explains why adolescents with LD and comorbid LD/ADHD more frequently engage in some risk-taking behavior.
Keywords: learning disabilities; adolescents; risk taking
Risk taking is often regarded as a normative behavior in adolescence. Risk-taking behavior may include minor alcohol or drug use, delinquency, acts of aggres- sion, sexual activity, and so on. Many studies have explored the relationship between adolescents and risk- taking behavior; however, only a few studies have exam- ined this link in adolescents with learning disabilities (LD; Cosden, 2001) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Those studies that have examined risk taking within the adolescent LD population have focused primarily on substance abuse (Beitchman, Wilson, Douglas, Young, & Adlaf, 2001; Cosden, 2001; Molina & Pelham, 2001; Rhodes & Jasinski, 1990; Weinberg, 2001), including the use of nicotine products, alcohol, and illicit drugs (Weinberg, 2001). A similar pattern exists in the literature on adolescents with ADHD (Disney, Elkins, McGue, & Iacono, 1999; Ercan, Coskunol, Varan, & Toksoz, 2003; Lambert & Hartsough, 1988; Moffitt, 1990; Molina & Pelham, 2001, 2003; Tercyak & Audrain-McGovern, 2003). Furthermore, there has been little research that extends this investigation to include risk-taking behavior in adolescents with comorbid LD/ADHD. Although Molina and Pelham (2001) explored substance use in adolescents with ADHD or comorbid ADHD/LD, researchers have not yet examined (in a single study) how having LD or comorbid LD/ADHD in adolescence affects engagement in risk-taking behavior. The purpose of the present study was to compare adolescents...