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Predicting the Tendency to High-Risk Behavior based on Psychological Helplessness and Distress Tolerance in Delinquent Adolescents

Background and Aim: Adolescent delinquency is a major problem of many societies, causing great concern of various institutions due to damages and losses on the lives of victims and delinquents and society on a larger scale. Therefore, the present study aimed to predict the tendency to high-risk behaviors based on psychological helplessness and distress tolerance in delinquent adolescents. Method: The present study had a descriptive and correlational design, and its statistical population consisted of all delinquent adolescents at the juvenile detention center of Shiraz in 2021. Among the statistical population, 100 delinquent adolescents were studied and selected by purposive sampling. The Adolescent Risk-Taking Questionnaire (ARQ), The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale- 21 Items (DASS-21), and Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) were used to collect data. After collecting and extracting data, participants' scores were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The results indicated a significant positive correlation between psychological helplessness and high-risk behaviors in delinquent adolescents (P=0.01). There was a significant negative correlation between distress tolerance and tendency to high-risk behavior in delinquent adolescents (P=0.01). The results also indicated that psychological distress with a beta coefficient of 0.14 and distress tolerance with a beta coefficient of -0.17 could predict high-risk behavior in adolescents (P=0.01). Conclusion: Psychological helplessness and distress tolerance could predict the tendency to high-risk behavior in delinquent adolescents.