A longitudinal study of the reciprocal nature of risk behaviors and cognitions in adolescents: What you do shapes what you think, and vice versa

Adolescents ' reckless driving, drinking, and smoking, along with their cognitions about these behaviors, were assessed in a 3-year longitudinal design. Consistent with most models of health behavior, the results indicated that health cognitions predict risk behavior. In addition, the current data demonstrate that increases in risk behavior are accompanied by increases in perceptions of vulnerability and prevalence and by decreases in the influence of concerns about health and safety. Furthermore, the changes in prevalence stimates and concern about health and safety predicted subsequent risk behavior. These results demonstrate r ciprocity between risk behaviors and related cognitions and suggest that adolescents are aware of the risks associated with their behavior but modify their thinking about hese risks in ways that facilitate continued participation i the behaviors. Key words: adolescent, risk behavior, health cognitions Most health behavior models uggest that cognitions, uch as perceptions of vulnerability to harm and perceptions of the costs and benefits of adopting precautions, guide decisions to engage in both risk and preventive behaviors. In fact, there is