Examining Brain Development and Its Impact on Decision-Making, Risk-Taking Behaviors, and Emotional Regulation Among Adolescents: A Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Study
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Abstract
Background and Purpose: Adolescence is marked by major changes in brain structures that lead to the development of decision-making, emotional regulation, and risk-taking behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between neurodevelopmental changes and these behaviors, with a particular focus on identifying the neurobiological and environmental factors that contribute to variations in adolescent decision-making and emotional regulation.
Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional design to investigate 12–17-year-olds. Participants were asked to fill out questionnaires related to both decision-making capacity and emotional regulation. In relation to these behaviors seeking salvation outside the self through self-destruction (via the CBCL), questions were included for clinical evaluation purposes. Cognitive task measurements and self-reports were used as indirect measures of brain development. Data analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient, regression analysis, and F-value to explore how brain development correlates with behavioral outcomes.
Results: Older adolescents (aged 15–17 years) had significantly better decision-making, improved emotional regulation, and less risky behavior than younger adolescents (aged 12–14 years). Sex had no significant impact on behavior. Although SES did not significantly influence behavioral outcomes, trends suggest that adolescents from higher SES backgrounds performed better in decision-making and emotional regulation tasks.
Conclusion: The results underline the significant influence of brain maturation on adolescent behavior, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. Age-related differences have also been observed. Older adolescents displayed more mature behavior. These results underscore the importance of understanding brain development when addressing adolescent risk behaviors. Recommendations for a larger sample size and cross-sectional designs of youth with richer diversity are recommended for future research to explore this question.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Pankaj Lakhan Singh, Dr. Himanshu Jitendra Dua
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons License All articles published in Annals of Medicine and Medical Sciences are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Dr. Pankaj Lakhan Singh, Clinical Psychologist, Peadiatric Department, NKPSIMS & Lata Mangeshkar Hospital & Research Centre, Nagpur, India.
*Corresponding Author: Dr. Pankaj Lakhan Singh; Clinical Psychologist, Peadiatric Department, NKPSIMS & Lata Mangeshkar Hospital & Research Centre, Nagpur, India.
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