Browsing by Author "Karinge, Caroline Mwendwa"

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    Gender and Risk-Taking Behaviors: The ‘Generation Z’ College Risk-Taker in a Kenyan University.
    (African Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2024) Karinge, Caroline Mwendwa; Matthews, Douglas; Mucherah, Winnie
    Enrolment in African institutions of higher learning has doubled in the last 20 years yet there is limited evaluation of risk-taking behaviors in this growing student population. Although there are many components to risk-taking behaviors, externalizing risk-taking behaviors like binge drinking, high-risk sexual behaviors and problem gambling as well as internalizing risktaking behaviors like suicidality are among the top ten causes of death and disabilities impacting university students. Moreover, there is rising global concern about increasing participation in risk-taking behaviors among university students. However, focus generally remains on evaluating single, traditional risk-taking behaviors with little done to evaluate if multiple risk-taking behaviors occur in the same individuals. This study sought to determine the prevalence of traditional and “novel” risk-taking behaviors among female and male students in a university in Kenya. Data from 297 undergraduate students was collected using a sociodemographic and socio-behavioral questionnaire and the DSM-IV Screen for Gambling (NODS-CLiP). Descriptive analyses showed that 61.3% of the students in the sample had engaged in risk-taking behaviors with 26.9% of them involved in multiple risk-taking behaviors. Chi-square tests of independence, at 95% confidence level, showed that male students were more likely to participate in high-risk sexual behaviors and problem gambling while female students were more likely to report suicidality. There was no significant gender difference in binge drinking or participation in multiple risk-taking behaviors. These findings underscore the need for gender specific mitigation programs, targeting multiple risk-taking behaviors, within institutions of higher learning in Kenya.
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    The Role of Impulsivity in Mitigating Risk-Taking Behaviors among Emerging Adults in Kenya.
    (Daystar University, School of Applied Human Sciences, 2024) Karinge, Caroline Mwendwa
    Risk-taking behaviors are prevalent among emerging adults at the university with risk-taking commonly associated with impulsivity. However, understanding of the role of impulsivity on risk-taking behaviors, has relied heavily on data from the Western world. This research thus sought to establish the relationship between impulsivity and risk-taking behaviors of the emerging adults in Kenya. The Maturation-Gap Hypothesis, Sensation Seeking Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior guided this quantitative research design which employed a survey followed by a task-based experiment. A sample of 297 participants was used for the survey and then stratified random sampling was used to select 12 participants for the experiment. Assessment tools included a demographic and risk-taking questionnaire, BIS-11, NODS-CLiP and the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted using SPSS (version 28) and Inquisit Software. Results showed that 61.3% of the students engaged in risk-taking behaviors of interest with 26.9% of them involved in multiple risk-taking behaviors. Male students were more likely to report high-risk sexual behaviors and problem gambling while female students were more likely to report suicidality. There was no significant gender difference in binge drinking or participation in multiple risk-taking behaviors. Risk-taking was not significantly associated with trait impulsivity except for suicidality which was significantly associated with attentional impulsivity. There was a small, positive, non-significant correlation between trait and cognitive impulsivity. These findings underscore a need for gender-specific mitigation programs, targeting multiple risk-taking behaviors, within institutions of higher learning in Kenya. Passive psychoeducation was employed to disseminate data and mitigate risk-taking behaviors encountered.