Roles of Family Functioning and Cognitive Failure in Predicting High-risk Behaviors Among Students with a History of Learning Disability

Abstract

Background: Students with learning disabilities may face challenges associated with their condition, which could contribute to engaging in risky behaviors. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of family functioning and cognitive failure in predicting high-risk behaviors among students with a history of learning disabilities. Methods: The statistical population of this descriptive-correlational study included all high school students with a history of learning disabilities in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2023. Convenience sampling with informed consent was employed to select 158 high school students with a history of learning disabilities as the research sample. Data were collected using the High-Risk Behavior Scale, Family Functioning Questionnaire, and Cognitive Failure Questionnaire. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and stepwise regression were used for data analysis. Results: The results indicated a significant negative relationship between family functioning and high-risk behaviors (r = -0.41, P < 0.001). Conversely, there was a significant positive relationship between cognitive failure and high-risk behaviors (r = 0.49, P < 0.001). Family functioning and cognitive failure together predicted 29.4% of the variance in students' high-risk behaviors. Conclusions: These findings suggest that family functioning and cognitive abilities are important factors to consider in understanding high-risk behaviors. Further research using longitudinal or experimental designs is needed to explore the causal relationships between these variables.