Social Capital as a Predictor of Prosocial Risk Behavior among Adolescents

Abstract

Risk behavior is often associated with negative outcome only. However, risk behavior can also be related to positive outcomes. Many studies have been advocated in looking into the negative aspect of adolescent behavior and past research also have displayed positive role of social capital in decreasing these behaviors. However, little is known about the role of social capital in adolescents’ prosocial risk behavior. This current study aimed to examine the role of social capital in predicting adolescents’ prosocial risk behavior. In this study, 221 Malaysian secondary school students aged 14 and 16 years old from five secondary schools in Selangor state were recruited. These participating secondary schools were selected by using cluster sampling. The Youth Social Capital Scale and the Prosocial and Health Adolescent Risk Behavior Scale were used to measure the variables in this study. The results showed that social capital was a significant predictor of adolescents’ prosocial behavior. Through this study, it could be seen that adolescents’ ecological resources was important in developing adolescents who served as active agent of positive behaviors.