Adolescence is a time when youth make decisions, both good and bad, that have consequences for the rest of their lives. Some of these decisions put them at risk of lifelong health problems, injury, or death. The Institute of Medicine held three public workshops between 2008 and 2009 to provide a venue for researchers, health care providers, and community leaders to discuss strategies to improve adolescent health.

The Second Edition of the Handbook of Adolescent Behavioral Problems clarifies the current state of treatment and prevention through comprehensive examinations of mental disorders and dysfunctional behaviors as well as the varied forces affecting their development. New or revised chapters offer a basic framework for approaching mental health concerns in youth and provide the latest information on how conditions (e.g., bipolar disorder, suicidality, and OCD) and behaviors (e.g., sex offenses, gang activities, dating violence, and self-harm) manifest in adolescents. Each chapter offers diagnostic guidance, up-to-date findings on prevalence, biological/genetic aspects, risk and resilience factors, and a practical review of prevention and treatment methods. Best-practice recommendations clearly differentiate among what works, what might work, what doesn't work, and what needs further research across modalities, including pharmacotherapy. Key topics addressed include: Families and adolescent development. Adolescent mental health and the DSM-5. Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder. Autism spectrum disorder. Media and technology addiction. School failure versus school success. Bullying and cyberbullying. The Second Edition of the Handbook of Adolescent Behavior Problems is a must-have reference for researchers, clinicians, allied practitioners and professionals, and graduate students in school and clinical child psychology, education, pediatrics, psychiatry, social work, school counseling, and public health.

This book focuses on the crucial role that relationships play in the lives of teenagers. The authors particularly examine the ways that healthy relationships can help teens avoid such common risk behaviors as substance abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and unsafe sexual practices. Addressing the current lack of effective prevention programs for teens, they present new strategies for encouraging healthy choices. The book first traces differences between the “rules of relating” for boys and girls and discusses typical and atypical patterns of experimentation in teens. The authors identify the common link among risk behaviors: the relationship connection. In the second part of the book, they examine the principles of successful programs used by schools and communities to cultivate healthy adolescent development. An illuminating conclusion describes the key ingredients for engaging adolescents, their parents, teachers, and communities in the effort to promote healthy, nonviolent relationships among teens.

Adolescenceâ€"beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20sâ€"is a critical period of development during which key areas of the brain mature and develop. These changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity mark adolescence as a period of opportunity to discover new vistas, to form relationships with peers and adults, and to explore one's developing identity. It is also a period of resilience that can ameliorate childhood setbacks and set the stage for a thriving trajectory over the life course. Because adolescents comprise nearly one-fourth of the entire U.S. population, the nation needs policies and practices that will better leverage these developmental opportunities to harness the promise of adolescenceâ€"rather than focusing myopically on containing its risks. This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish.

This second volume of Richard Jessor’s influential works applies his groundbreaking theory to illuminating the psychosocial determinants of adolescent health. Focusing on a range of both health-compromising and health-enhancing behaviors, including problem drinking, marijuana use, risky driving, and early sexual experience as well as regular exercise and healthy diet, these writings advance understanding of the role of health behavior in adolescence and adolescent development. Chapters illustrate the relevance of the theory and of its interdisciplinary approach for research on behavioral health in adolescence and for the design of prevention/intervention programs to promote healthy development. In addition, the book’s comparative studies of U.S. and Chinese youth reveal the generality of the theory across societal and national differences. Topics featured in this book include: Alcohol use and problem drinking in adolescent health and development. Psychosocial research on marijuana use. Understanding early initiation of sexual intercourse in adolescence. Smoking behavior in adolescence and young adulthood. Developmental change in risky driving. Healthy eating and regular exercise in adolescent health and development Problem Behavior Theory and Adolescent Health is a must-have resource for researchers, professors, clinicians, and related professionals as well as graduate students in developmental and health psychology, sociology, criminology, criminal justice, public health, and related disciplines.

This book is based on the idea that increasing juvenile risk behaviours – like substance abuse, nonsuicidal self-injury, and antisocial or suicidal behaviour – allow adolescents to fulfill developmental tasks like identity-formation and regulation of self-worth. Narcissistic self-exploitation, mobility tasks, flexibility and the challenges of new media exert social pressure on parental figures, distracting and putting strain on their mental resources, which in turn changes and even destroys the emotional dialogue with their offspring. If children themselves experience neglect and lack of emotional bonding - resulting in a lack of self-regulating capacities – risk behaviours are the consequence. The book combines different views in the psychological, social and metatheoretical domains. It consists of three parts: developmental problems of young people, diagnosis of risk behaviours in the nosological framework, and presentation of new morbidity with an increase in symptom prevalence. The book also discusses the threat of the acceleration of social processes and the risks of postmodern society.