Adolescent Risk Behaviors: Why Teens Experiment and Strategies to Keep Them Safe

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 teenagers avoid such common risk behaviours as substance abuse, dating violence, sexual assault and unsafe sexual practices. Addressing the current lack of effective prevention programmes for teenagers, 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 teenagers. The authors identify the common link among risk behaviours: the relationship connection. In the second part of the book, they examine the principles of successful programmes 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, non-violent relationships among teenagers.