Gender and Risk-Taking Behaviors: The 'Generation Z' College Risk-Taker in a Kenyan University

Caroline Mwendwa-Karinge, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology Candidate., Daystar University; Douglas Matthews, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire, Wisconsin; & Wilfridah Mucherah, Ph.D., Ball State University, Indiana., United States of America

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 risk-taking 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.

Keywords: Binge Drinking, Problem Gambling, Suicidality, High-Risk Sexual Behaviors, University Students, Kenya, NODS-CLiP, Gender.