Zhang JJ, Wang EN. Positive and negative risk-taking behaviors in adolescents: Distinct characteristics, interrelationships, and influencing factors. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(6): 106944 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i6.106944]
Corresponding Author of This Article
En-Na Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, No. 967 Anning East Road, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu Province, China. enyiena@nwnu.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Psychology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Psychiatry. Jun 19, 2025; 15(6): 106944 Published online Jun 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i6.106944
Positive and negative risk-taking behaviors in adolescents: Distinct characteristics, interrelationships, and influencing factors
Jun-Jie Zhang, En-Na Wang
Jun-Jie Zhang, En-Na Wang, School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang JJ and Wang EN contributed to this paper; Zhang JJ designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Wang EN contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript; Zhang JJ and Wang EN contributed to the writing, and editing the manuscript, illustrations, and review of literature.
Supported by Soft Science Special Project of Gansu Basic Research Plan, No. 25JRZA072; Youth Project of Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of Gansu Province, No. 2024QN015; General Project of Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of Gansu Province, No. 2024YB049; and Lanzhou Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project, No. 24-B13.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: En-Na Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, No. 967 Anning East Road, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu Province, China. enyiena@nwnu.edu.cn
Received: March 12, 2025 Revised: March 28, 2025 Accepted: May 6, 2025 Published online: June 19, 2025 Processing time: 79 Days and 7 Hours
Abstract
Adolescence is a crucial period marked by significant developmental changes, during which risk-taking behaviors can be both a normative part of development and a potential source of concern. However, prior research has focused predominantly on the adverse aspects of risk-taking (i.e., negative risk-taking), overlooked the positive counterpart (i.e., positive risk-taking), and lacked a detailed examination of both. This study aims to elucidate the distinct characteristics and interrelationships of positive and negative risk-taking behaviors among adolescents and to identify the key factors that influence these behaviors. Through a comprehensive synthesis of theoretical and empirical literature, we explore the multifaceted nature of risk-taking, highlighting its complex influencing factors, including individual traits, family dynamics, peer influence, school environment, and broader community contexts. By identifying the shared and unique factors contributing to positive and negative risk-taking behaviors, we can enable adolescents to navigate this complex stage of life and design targeted interventions. Future research directions include the application of person-centered approaches, the implementation of longitudinal tracking and the interactive effects of influencing factors, among other aspects.
Core Tip: This review distinguishes between positive risk-taking and negative risk-taking in adolescents, and identifies shared and unique influencing factors across individual traits, family dynamics, peer influence, school climate, and community contexts. Key theoretical advancements include advocating for person-centered approaches to address behavioral heterogeneity, and for longitudinal studies to track dynamic interactions. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that redirect risk propensity toward positive risk-taking while mitigating negative risk-taking, offering a multi-system framework for fostering adolescents’ healthy development.
