The relationship between risky behaviors and childhood abuse, impulsivity and risky behaviors in university students

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate risky behaviors among university students and to reveal the relationship between risky behaviors, impulsivity and childhood abuse. Methods: Participants of this research were 1102 university students (740 women and 362 men) who attended state or foundation universities at Turkey's 24 different cities in 2012-2013 educational year. In this study, 'Demographic Information Form', 'Childhood Abuse Experience Scale (CAES)', which collects information about abuse experiences before the age of 18, 'Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11)', which measures impulsivity and 'Risky Behaviors Questionnaire', which identifies habituation and frequency of risky behaviors that were applied. Results: Male university students tend to engage in risky behaviors more than female university students do, except not using condom in one-night stand. A positive and strong correlation was found between CAES and BIS-11 scores. CAES and BIS-11 scores were also significantly different between participants who reported risky behavior and who did not. Conclusion: Impulsivity and risky behaviors which are observed among young people lead to individual and communal problems. Risky behaviors and impulsivity are long term effects of childhood abuse, so this situation shows the requirement of putting on emphasis on prevention and intervention programs about childhood abuse. Furthermore, impulsivity, which is considered to be a serious risk factor, and risky behavior oriented protective programs should be employed.