Study: Risky Behavior Among Teens Fueled by Fatalism

A new study from the University of Minnesota finds that nearly 15 percent of teens think they’re going to die young, possibly leading some to engage in risky behaviors such as drug use, MSNBC reported on June 29.

Researchers said that the fatalistic attitudes of some teens may also help explain high rates of suicide attempts — teens may be more likely to consider killing themselves because they feel hopeless and don’t think much is at stake, the study postulated. 

Researchers studied data from a nationally representative survey of more than 20,000 children and adolescents in grades 7 to 12. From 1995 to 2002, the students were interviewed three times. 

In the first round of surveys, 14.7 percent of teens said they felt they had a strong chance of dying before turning 35. Follow-up interviews found that the teens with this fatalistic mentality engaged in more risky behaviors than those with a more optimistic outlook.

During the seven-year study period, fatalistic youth were seven times more likely than more optimistic students to be diagnosed with AIDS. They were also more likely to get into fights that led to major injuries, and to attempt suicide.

Doctors can help identity fatalistic youth and help prevent them from engaging in unsafe behavior, said Jonathan Klein, M.D., an expert on adolescent health at the University of Rochester. “Asking about this sense of fatalism is probably a pretty important component of one of the ways we can figure out who those kids at greater risk are,” said Klein.

According to the study, youth who are exposed to a disproportionate amount of violence and hardships, notably Native Americans, African Americans and low-income teens, were more likely than others to believe they would die early.

The study is included in the July 2009 issue of the journal Pediatrics.