Young people’s risky behaviour and its relationship to social

activities

Andreas Cebulla

Core Questions of this Study

• Do certain types of social activities make engagement in risky behaviour more or less likely?

• If so, what are they?

• What is the effect of risky behaviour and social activities on educational attainment?

The LSYPE Dataset

Background to the Study• Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) –

nationally representative study• Study began in 2004 when young people aged 13-14• Four completed waves, young people now aged 17-18• 15,000 pupils at Wave 1, 11,000 at Wave 4

Data Available• Interviews with YP and parent/s• Information on family background, attitudes and aspirations• Linked to NPD which includes attainment at Key Stages 2, 3

and 4

Risky Behaviour

Young People’s Risky Behaviours

05

101520

25303540

Per

cen

t

Age 14 Age 15 Age 16

Young People’s Risky Behaviours

05

101520

25303540

Per

cen

t

Age 14 Age 15 Age 16

InternalisingExternalising

Young People Engaging in Internalising or Externalising Risky Behaviour

6355

48

1022

32

14 75

3 9 9

10 7 6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Age 14 Age 15 Age 16

Pe

r c

en

t

2+ ext + int

1 ext + int

Only ext

Only int

None

Interim Findings

• A majority of young people (largely) abstained from risky behaviour.

• While more young people drank, smoked or played truant at age 16 than at age 14, comparatively fewer also engaged in behaviours directed against other people or property.

• This does not mean that the two types of risky behaviour are not connected

• There remains a ‘hard-core’ of young people who engage in both types of risky behaviour and many have done so from an early age (although they were not the focus of our study)

Social Activities

Young People Engaging in Social Activities

30 28 23 17 15 11 4

82

33 3520 15 19

9 6

84 80 82

0102030405060708090

100

Readi

ng

Going

out w

ith fr

iend

Hangi

ng a

roun

dPar

ty

Mus

ical in

strum

ent

Amus

emen

t arc

ade

Pub

Religio

us cl

asse

s

Comm

unity

wor

k

Pe

r c

en

t

Age 14 Age 15

Young People Engaging in Social Activities

0102030405060708090

100

Hangi

ng a

roun

d

Going

out w

ith fr

iend

Party

Pub

Amus

emen

t arc

ade

Mus

ical in

strum

ent

Comm

unity

wor

k

Religio

us cl

asse

s

Readi

ng

Per

cen

t

Age 14 Age 15Socialising Self-development

Young People Engaging in Social Activities and Risky Behaviour

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4-6 0 1 2 3 4 5-12 0 1 2 3-4

Socialising activities Neutral activities Self-development activities

Number of social activities young person partakes in

Me

an

nu

mb

er

of

ris

ky

be

ha

vio

urs

yo

un

g p

ers

on

en

ga

ge

s

in

Externalising risky behaviours Internalising risky behaviours

Risky Behaviour & Social Activities – The Connection

Young People Engaging in Social Activities and Risky Behaviour

0.56

1.37

1.71

2.73

0.83

3.91

1.71

1.31

1.54

0.67

1.82

0.89

2.21

0.30

1.64

0.50

1.75

3.22

0.84

0.78

0.93

1.08

0 1 2 3 4

0

(reference category) 1

2

3

4

Decrease

(reference category) No change

Increase

0

(reference category) 1

2

3

Decrease

(reference category) No change

Increase

Increase in risky behaviour (odds ratio)

Increase in internalising risky behaviourIncrease in externalising risky behaviour

Young People Engaging in Social Activities and Risky Behaviour

1.08

1.37

1.74

0.84

0.77

0.58

0.75

1.99

1.10

1.63

1.71

0.75

0.41

0.79

1.54

0.65

0.49

0.32

1.47

0.66

0.62

0.79

0 1 2 3 4

0

(reference category) 1

2

3

4

Decrease

(reference category) No change

Increase

0

(reference category) 1

2

3

Decrease

(reference category) No change

Increase

Decrease in risky behaviour (odds ratio)

Decrease in internalising riskybehaviourDecrease in externalising riskybehaviour

Risky Behaviour and Young People’s Outcomes

Conclusions

• More socialising activities associated with more risky behaviour (internalising and externalising)

• Fewer socialising activities associated with fewer risky behaviours

• No clear-cut evidence that more self-development activities are associated with reduced risky behaviour

• But they are associated with better GCSE results

Take-home message

• Reversing a behaviour appears difficult

• Prevention may be a more promising approach, without being necessarily easier to implement

Risky Behaviour and GCSE Scores