Age-related characteristics of risk-taking behaviour in students with disabilities and those with typical development

Introduction. The study of age-related characteristics of risk-taking behaviour in students with disabilities remains one of the most pressing issues in contemporary science. Risk-taking behaviour is defined by the authors as a stable, rationally unmotivated preference exhibited by an individual for situations that carry a high potential for adverse outcomes to life and health, pursued in the interest of a subjectively significant goal or the satisfaction of immediate needs. Aim. The present research aims to identify the socio-psychological personality characteristics of older adolescent and young adult students with disabilities, as well as those with typical development, within the context of protective and risk factors influencing engagement in risky behaviour. Methodology and research methods. The use of a comparative research method facilitated the comparison of results obtained from distinct samples. The structural method was employed during the data interpretation stage, in accordance with the specific characteristics of the research subject – in this case, the particular features of the propensity for risk-taking behaviour. The principal empirical method utilised was psychodiagnostic testing, based on a unified socio-psychological testing methodology. The study was conducted across eight constituent entities of the Russian Federation between 2024 and 2025. The sample comprised 3,434 individuals. Results. Based on experimental data, age-related characteristics of socio-psychological protective and risk factors influencing the propensity for risk-taking behaviour were identified and described in older adolescent and young adult students with disabilities and those with typical development. Adolescents with disabilities and those with typical development exhibit the highest levels of the risk factors “need for group attention” and “risk-seeking”. Compared with their older peers with disabilities, adolescents with disabilities display lower anxiety and reduced scores across all risk and protective factors. In contrast, adolescents with typical development show higher values for risk factors compared with their older counterparts. While senior school pupils and university students with typical development demonstrate a decrease in risk factors and an increase in protective factors with age, students with disabilities exhibit an increase in risk factor values. Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of these results lies in the acquisition of up-todate data on the age-specific socio-psychological characteristics of the propensity for risk-taking behaviour among contemporary adolescent and young adult students with disabilities and those with typical development. Practical significance. The practical significance is that the data obtained during the study can serve as a foundation for the early identification of risk-taking tendencies in students with disabilities and for organising preventive interventions with minors.