Impact of family relationships on risk-taking behavior among college students

The present study has tried to find out if there is any influence of family relationships on risk taking behavior among college students of Kolkata. The study has further investigated if there is any role of gender and living status on risk taking behavior. A sample of 100 young students (50 males, 50 females) has been selected purposively from different colleges of Kolkata. Two standardized tests, namely, “Family Relationship Inventory” by Sherry and Sinha (1971) and “Risk Taking Behavior Scale” by Weber, Blais and Betz (2002) have been administered. Data have been analyzed by using descriptive statistics, correlation and ANOVA. The overall findings of this study indicate that dimensions of acceptance and concentration are negatively correlated with risk taking behavior and the dimension of avoidance is positively correlated with risk taking behavior. The ANOVA results show parental acceptance and avoidance significantly influence risk taking behavior whereas parental concentration does not have any significant influence. Moreover, a significant influence of gender is observed, and the mean scores reveal that risk taking behavior among boys is higher than girls. ANOVA further reveals that living status also has significant influence on risk taking behavior. The study implies that family relationships should be given due recognition in counseling the young students who are prone to risk taking behavior.