Investigating the relationship between students’ executive functions, Addiction to cyberspace, and tendency to high-risk behaviors.
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This study investigates the relationship between students' executive functions, addiction to cyberspace, and their tendency to engage in high-risk behaviors. A sample of 300 middle school level students from Mashhad, Iran, aged 13–15 years, was assessed using the Stroop Test for executive functions, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), and the High-Risk Behavior Questionnaire (HRBQ). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, multiple regression, and mediation analysis were conducted to explore these relationships. The findings revealed a significant negative correlation between executive functions (as measured by the Stroop Test) and cyberspace addiction, as well as between executive functions and high-risk behaviors. Cyberspace addiction was found to positively correlate with high-risk behaviors. Multiple regression analysis indicated that both executive functions and cyberspace addiction are significant predictors of high-risk behaviors. Mediation analysis further demonstrated that cyberspace addiction partially mediates the relationship between executive functions and high-risk behaviors. These results underscore the importance of addressing executive functions and cyberspace addiction in developing interventions aimed at reducing high-risk behaviors among students.