high-risk behaviors, self-control, and identity-seeking between adolescents in foster care and normal adolescents: a comparative study

Background: adolescence is a critical time in human development, encompassing physical, cognitive, emotional, and social growth. objectives: as a result, this research sought to assess differences in risky behaviors, self-control, and identity exploration among adolescents in foster care compared to those in typical family settings in zahedan city, iran. methods: the study employed a descriptive design combined with a causal-comparative approach. all adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 in foster care and regular families in zahedan in 2021 were included in the research. a total of 90 individuals were chosen as the sample, with 50 being adolescents in foster care and 40 living in typical families in zahedan. the required data were collected using questionnaires, namely the youth risk behavior survey, self-control scale, and identity styles questionnaire. statistical analysis was performed in spss-18 software using descriptive and inferential statistics, which involved one-way anova, pearson correlation coefficient, and regression analysis. results: the findings indicated that 49 of the participants (54.4%) were female adolescents and 41 were male adolescents (45.6%). the f-values for high-risk behaviors (40.16) and self-control (41.06) were deemed statistically significant (p≤0.001); however, the f-value for identity styles did not show significance (p≤0.001). conclusion: based on these findings, it can be inferred that there were significant distinctions in high-risk behaviors and self-control between standard students and those in foster care. as a result, it is crucial to address the requirements of teenagers in foster care when creating mental health policies.