reproductive health services for adolescents - Pathfinder International

Module 16/Unit 2
Specific Objective #2: Identify risk-taking behaviors of adolescents
CONTENT
Knowledge/Attitudes/Skills
REASONS FOR ADOLESCENT RISK-
TAKING BEHAVIOR
• Major physical, cognitive, emotional,
sexual, and social changes occur
during adolescence that affect young
people’s behavior.
• New social relationships, especially
with peers, begin to gain greater
importance as family influence
decreases.
• Curiosity, sexual maturity, a natural
inclination toward experimentation,
and peer pressure lead to risky
behavior such as unprotected sex,
substance use, reckless driving, and
dangerous recreational activities.
Training/Learning Methods
(Time Required)
TRAINER PRESENTATION (15 MIN.)
The trainer should:
• Present the content on the left-hand
side of the page.
• Emphasize that some risk-taking can
have life-long consequences,
especially sexual risk-taking, which
can lead to unwanted pregnancy or
STI/HIV.
• Ask Px if there any questions or
comments.
• A sense of omnipotence, feelings of
invulnerability, and impulsiveness can
lead to a lack of future planning and
can enhance risk-taking, thereby
compromising protective behavior.
• Adolescents must attain social and
economic maturity and autonomy in
culturally specific ways during their
second decade of life. This involves
moving away from dependence on
the family, both psychologically and
emotionally.
• In some cultures, young men are
encouraged to take risks as a way of
proving their masculinity.
Pathfinder International
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Adolescent Curriculum