Adolescence is a pivotal period of development with respect to health and illness. It is during adolescence that many positive health behaviors are consolidated and important health risk behaviors are first evident; thus, adolescence is a logical time period for primary prevention. In addition, the predominant causes of morbidity and mortality in adolescence are quite different from those of adults, indicating that early identification and treatment of adolescent health problems must be directed to a unique set of targets in this age group. Moreover, because of the particular developmental issues that characterize adolescence, intervention efforts designed for adults are often inappropriate or ineffective in an adolescent population. Even when chronic illnesses are congenital or begin in childhood, the manner in which the transition from childhood to adolescence to young adulthood is negotiated has important implications for disease outcomes throughout the remainder of the person’s life span. Organized in five major sections (General Issues, Developmental Issues, Treatment and Training, Mental Health, and Physical Health) and 44 chapters, Handbook of Adolescent Health Psychology addresses the common and not so common health issues that tend to affect adolescents. Coverage includes: ▪ Context and perspectives in adolescent health psychology ▪ Health literacy, health maintenance, and disease prevention in adolescence ▪ Physical disorders such as asthma, obesity, physical injury, and chronic pain ▪ Psychological disorders such as substance abuse, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and eating disorders ▪ Congenital chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes and spina bifida Handbook of Adolescent Health Psychology is the definitive reference for pediatricians, family physicians, health psychologists, clinical social workers, rehabilitation specialists, and all practitioners and researchers working with adolescents.

Adolescence is a developmental period of accelerating physical, psychological, social! cultural, and cognitive development, often characterized by confronting and surmounting a myriad of challenges and establishing a sense of self-identity and autonomy. It is also, unfortunately, a period fraught with many threats to the health and well-being of adoles cents and with substantial consequent impairment and disability. Many of the adverse health consequences experienced by adolescents are, to a large extent, the result of their risk behaviors. Many adolescents today, and perhaps an increasing number in the future, are at risk for death, disease, and other adverse health outcomes that are not primarily biomedical in origin. In general, there has been a marked change in the causes of morbidity and mortality among adolescents. Previously, infectious diseases accounted for a dispro portionate share of adolescent morbidity and mortality. At present, however, the over whelming toll of adolescent morbidity and mortality is the result of lifestyle practices.

At the founding in 1896 of the first psychological clinic dedicated to children and adolescents, the study of the psychological treatment of young people lagged behind that of adults, and the basic psychopathology underlying mental disorders in this population was largely ignored. Since those early days, the field has evolved steadily and, in recent years, exponentially. The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology is a state-of-the-science volume providing comprehensive coverage of the psychological problems and disorders of childhood. International in scope and penned by the discipline's most eminent scientists and practitioners, the handbook begins with a section on conceptual and empirical issues, followed by exceptional content on specific psychiatric disorders such as intellectual disability, externalizing and internalizing disorders, communication disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and many more. The third section offers chapters on special problems in childhood and adolescence, including divorce, the incarceration of parents, suicide and non-suicidal self-injury, bullying, and medical illness. A fourth section covers delivery of clinical services in diverse settings, such as schools and prisons, and the handbook concludes with several chapters on emerging trends and future directions for the field. Conceptually rich and evidence-based, this handbook is an essential resource for students, practitioners, and researchers, providing a cutting-edge compendium of the latest theoretical and empirical developments by leaders of the discipline.

This multidisciplinary handbook, edited by the premier scholars in the field, reflects the empirical work and growth in the field of adolescent psychology.

The purpose of Handbook of Pediatric and Adolescent Health Psychology is to stimulate research ideas for clinical researchers in the field of pediatric and adolescent psychology. This is the latest compilation or resource available for clinicians who treat children and adolescents. This includes not just psychologists but also family practitioners from diverse disciplines. Readers will benefit from the wealth of research and issues devoted to child and adolescent health psychology.

Published in 1982, Issues in Child Health and Adolescent Health is a valuable contribution to the field of Psychology PP.