Fear of Failure, Peer Support, Risk Taking Tendencies in Adolescents

Abstract

Adolescence constitutes a developmentally sensitive period during which psychological vulnerabilities, social dependencies, and behavioral orientations converge to shape long-term mental health trajectories. In the Pakistani educational context, where collectivist cultural norms, high-stakes examination pressures, and limited institutional psychological support coexist, adolescents are disproportionately exposed to fear of failure and its cascading consequences on social functioning and behavioral decision-making. The present study examined the interrelationships among fear of failure, peer support, and general risk-taking tendencies in Pakistani adolescents and tested the role of peer support as a statistical mediator in the association between fear of failure and general risk-taking. Grounded in Jessor's Problem Behavior Theory and Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, the study examined whether fear of failure is associated with lower perceived peer support and, in turn, with lower general risk propensity. A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed with a convenience sample of 300 Pakistani adolescents (150 males, 150 females; aged 13 to 19 years) enrolled in Matric, FSc, and BS programs in Faisalabad, Punjab.