Background and Purpose: The broad concept of risk behavior is including a series of behaviors which brought serious losses not only for involved person and important people in his life, but is caused inadvertent damage to innocent people. The most common risky behaviors are including risky driving, running away from home, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, alcohol and drugs, smoking, unhealthy dietary habits and lack of physical activity. Generally according to importance of prevention of risky behavior in adolescents, present research aims to investigate the role of emotionality and self-control ability in explaining risky behavior in female high school students.
Method: The design of this study was descriptive with correlational method and the research population included all female high school students in Rasht in the academic year 2015-2016, 250 of whom were selected by convenient sampling method. Zuckerman's trait sensation-seeking scale (1971), self-control questionnaire (Tanji & Bamister (1994), and risky behavior questionnaire (Zadeh Mohammadi, Ahmad Abadi & Heydari, 2010) were used as a research tools. Data analysis was performed using correlation and multiple regression.
Results: Analysis of present research indicate there is a significant relationship between self-control and emotionality with risky behaviors (p<0/01). The results indicate emotionality and self-control can predict 12% of risky behaviors (p<0/0001).
Conclusion: Emotions are revealed much faster than logic and cognition, so they can lead to high-risk behaviors, but self-control by helping to regulate emotions in an appropriate manner and modifying them reduces risky behaviors.