Populariteit, maar niet geliefdheid, is gerelateerd aan risicogedrag van Nederlandse adolescenten

Even though both theoretical and empirical evidence show that American and Australian adolescents engage in risk behavior to gain social status, evidence is lacking on the link between risk behavior and social status in European adolescents. The current study therefore examined this association among 253 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 16.83 years, 52% boys). Participants completed peer nominations of popularity and likeability and self-reports of risk behaviors (alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use, and number of sexual partners). Structural equation modeling showed that risk behavior was strongly associated with popularity, but not with likeability. This study indicates that the association between risk behavior and social status in the Netherlands is in line with findings from outside Europe.