The Relationship between Risky Health Behaviors and Perceived Social Support in Final Year High School Students

A variety of risky health behaviors are adopted in adolescence; they usually prevail through adulthood and affect well-being and health throughout life. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between risky health behaviors and perceived social support in final year high school students. The population of this descriptive correlational study consisted of final year students (N=904) of the high schools providing education in the city of Gümüşhane. No sampling was attempted and 609 students (67.37% of the population) who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The study data were collected between December 2014 and January 2015 by the investigator in classroom setting using a Descriptive Questionnaire, the Risky Health Behaviors Scale (RHBS) and the Revised Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS-R). The mean age of the students was 17.28±0.67. The mean total RHBS score was 64.51±10.81 and the mean total PSSS-R score 122.36±15.16. The results of the study suggest that social support decreases with increasing risky health behaviors, the students were at risk according to their mean total RHBS score and the perceived social support was high according to their mean total PSSSR score. Provision of consultancy services to families and teachers is recommended to improve their skills in preventing risky health behaviors and promoting social support.