Adolescent risk-taking likelihood, risk perceptions, and benefit perceptions across domains

Adolescents are often described as notorious risk-takers. However, adolescents do not always take risks and risk-taking may vary across risk-taking domains. Furthermore, there are large individual differences. Certain clinical groups, such as adolescents with ADHD, may be more likely to take risks. In two studies we examined these domain-specific and individual differences using the adolescent Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT)-questionnaire, which assesses adolescents' self-reported risk-taking likelihood, perceptions of risk, and perceptions of benefits (‘returns’). Furthermore, we examined how risk-taking likelihood is informed by risk- and benefit-perceptions, i.e., ‘risk-return’ weighing. In a community-sample study (N = 361, 12–25 years), we tested the domain-specificity across age, and observed a peak in risk-taking likelihood in late adolescence in the Health-Safety domain only. Perceived benefits were heightened, and perceived risks attenuated, in mid-to-late adolescence for Health-Safety, Recreational, and Ethical risks. In a second study, we compared boys with ADHD (N = 81) and controls (N = 99; 12–20 years). Adolescents with ADHD rated higher risk-taking likelihoods for Social risks only. Risk-return models in both studies revealed that effects of perceived risks (Health-Safety) and benefits (Recreational) on risk-taking likelihood were most pronounced and varied across age. Together, adolescents' risk-taking likelihood is impacted by risks and returns, age-related differences, and should be studied domain-specifically.