Risk Behaviors, Family Support, and Emotional Health among Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel

Orit Shapiro, Rachel Nissanholtz Gannot, Gizell Green, Avi Zigdon, Moti Zwilling, Ariela Giladi, Lilach Ben-Meir, Marques Adilson, Sharon Barak, Yossi Harel-Fisch and Riki Tesler
Additional contact information
Orit Shapiro: Department of Health System Management, Faculty of Health Science, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Rachel Nissanholtz Gannot: Department of Health System Management, Faculty of Health Science, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Gizell Green: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Avi Zigdon: Department of Health System Management, Faculty of Health Science, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Moti Zwilling: Department of Economics and Business Administration, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Ariela Giladi: School of Education, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
Lilach Ben-Meir: School of Education, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
Marques Adilson: CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboan, 1649-004 Lisbon, Portugal
Sharon Barak: Program in Gerontology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheeva 8410501, Israel
Yossi Harel-Fisch: School of Education, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
Riki Tesler: Department of Health System Management, Faculty of Health Science, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: We investigated the prevalence of risk behaviors among Israeli adolescents (tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Associations between different risk behaviors were examined and so was whether specific characteristics could predict risk behaviors in adolescents. The study consisted of 1020 Israeli adolescents aged 15–18. Study subjects completed an online survey between the first and second lockdowns in Israel (April 2020 to September 2020). Participants reported the frequency at which they engaged in four different risky behaviors: general risky behavior, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption (binge drinking), and cannabis use. The most prevalent risky behavior in the sample was binge drinking (33.8%). The four measured risky behaviors were significantly correlated. Among participants who had previously engaged in a risky behavior assessed, most did not change the behavior frequency during the pandemic. All independent variables (sociodemographic characteristics, family support, and emotional, health excluding friends’ support, physical activity volume, and coronavirus restrictions) were significantly different between participants engaging vs. not engaging in risky behaviors. Our findings suggest that family support is one of the most influential factors in preventing risky behavior during the pandemic, and they emphasize the importance of family-based interventions with children and adolescents from elementary to high school.

Keywords: risk behaviors; family support; adolescents; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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