EFFECTS OF HEALTH LOCUS OF CONTROL AND SOCIAL NETWORK ON RISK-TAKING IN ADOLESCENTS.
Contributors: University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 79
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this ex-post-facto designed study was to determine if health locus of control and social network were predictive of risk-taking in adolescents. The conceptual framework used to guide this study was the Neuman Health-Care Systems Model.

The sample consisted of 187 male and females between the ages of 14 and 18 in public school grades 9-12. Participation in the study was voluntary. The rights and welfare of the participants were protected by adherence to the institutional review board guidelines.

Four questionnaires were used for data collection: an investigator made demographic questionnaire, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scales, two questions from the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ), and the Risk-Taking Questionnaire (RTQ).

Cronbach-Alpha reliabilities for the subscales of the MHLC, NSSQ, and RTQ were computed. The results were: IHLC.51, PHLC.60, CHLC.64; NSSQ.86; RTQ.91.

Descriptive statistics were utilized to describe the sample. Chi Square analysis was significant for smoking by sex and alcohol and seatbelt use by age.

Multiple regression was utilized to test the null hypothesis: the proportion of variance in risk-taking accounted for by health locus of control and social network is not significantly different from zero. Analysis demonstrated that an R$\sp2$ of 0.1171 indicated that 12% of the variation in RTQ score could be explained by the variation in PHLC, IHLC, and Network. This was significant at the.05 level and resulted in rejection of the null hypothesis.

Implications and recommendations for education, nursing practice and research were formulated.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-01, Section: B, page: 0129.

Thesis (D.S.N.)--UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM, 1988.

School code: 0005.