Adolescents at Risk

Abstract

Adolescence is a developmental period of rapid physical, psychological, sociocultural, and cognitive changes characterized by efforts to confront and surmount challenges and to establish a sense of identity and autonomy. While many adolescents navigate the sometimes turbulent course from childhood to adulthood to become productive and healthy adults, there is growing concern that far too many others may not achieve their full potential as workers, parents, and individuals. Unfortunately, adolescence is also a period fraught with many threats to the health and well-being of adolescents, many of whom suffer substantial impairment and disability. Much of the adverse health consequences experienced by adolescents are, to a large extent, the result of risk behaviors (Ginzberg, 1991). As such, they are preventable.