Youth are disproportionately affected by substance use and associated sexual risk behaviors, increasing STI and HIV susceptibility. This study analyzed the interplay between alcohol/drug use before sex (ABS/DBS), perceived sex approval (e.g., perceived familial or peer approval in engaging in sex), and HIV/STI risk perception among youth aged…

Little is known about the implications of cannabis legalization on adolescent health behaviors. This study sought to examine the relationship between recreational cannabis legalization and adolescent sexual risk behaviors. Data on 371,487 respondents who have ever had sexual intercourse from 41 states in the 2005 to 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey…

Self-report questionnaires on alcohol use are commonly used in both research and in clinical work with adolescents, but little is known about how adolescent responders perceive and interpret them. This study explores how adolescents think while responding to two alcohol-related questionnaires. It also investigates whether the instruments can…

This study examines the independent, relative, and additive associations between both parent and peer role models and longitudinal patterns of smoking across adolescence and early adulthood. An analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 10,166) reveals at least four distinct trajectories of smoking…

This study used the Information Motivation Behavioral (IMB) skills model to examine condom use among rural youth in Edo State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 4,801 youth aged 11 to 17 years attending Junior Secondary Schools. Analysis focused on 1,749 (Male = 1,134, Female = 615) sexually active youth. Random-effects ordinal logit models were…

Adherence to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions may be challenging for adolescents, especially those concerned about social status. This study examined self-perceived popularity and reputation concerns as predictors of adherence to health guidelines and the effects of self-perceived popularity on adjustment. Adolescents (n = 1,068, 14-18…

Increasingly evidence suggests that the self-reported health status (SRH) of 2nd generation immigrant youth (native-born youth with at least one parent who was born abroad) may be lower than non-immigrant youth. This cross-sectional study compared the SRH of 2nd generation immigrant to non-immigrant youth (n = 291), accounting for confounders…

Limited work has focused on understanding mechanisms through which violence negatively impacts youth outcomes. The present study investigates how three different facets of violence exposure (witnessing violence, victimization and armed conflict) relate to Colombian youth externalizing behaviors via the indirect influence of aggressive cognitions…

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a financial inclusion project on youth's sexual risk behaviors and victimization. The project occurred in Ghana, where 100 schools were assigned to either a school-based savings program (SBSP), a marketing campaign, or a control group. Pretest and posttest data were collected in 2011 and…

This study evaluated the injury prevention program, Skills for Preventing Injury in Youth (SPIY) for Year 9 students (aged 13-14 years). The aim of SPIY was to reduce adolescent injury by reducing engagement in risk-taking behaviors. A randomized controlled trial was conducted and data analyzed with 32 schools, N = 2,739 students at baseline.…

Adolescent intentional and unintentional injury is commonly related to involvement in violence and transportation behaviors. While many risk and promotive factors have been identified, a cumulative assessment of such factors is less common, and this has rarely been undertaken with transportation behaviors. The study involved Australian adolescents…

From a developmental perspective, the increase in depressive symptoms among adolescents over the past decade is of great concern due to the risk of long-term mental health problems extending into adulthood. Informed by the Multicultural Social Justice Framework, we examined multi-level, ecological risk and protective factors of depressive symptoms…

The advent of Internet-enabled mobile digital devices has transformed U.S. adolescent technology use over the last decade, yet little is known about how these changes map onto other health-related behaviors. We provide a national profile of how contemporary technology use fits into adolescents' daily health lifestyles compared with the previous…

While previous research has shown alcohol use to increase developmentally throughout adolescence, the age of alcohol initiation has rarely been incorporated into developmental trajectories. Simultaneous estimation of the effects of early alcohol initiation was made in relation to the recency and frequency of alcohol use utilizing a sample of 1,209…

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth exhibit multiple health disparities, including high rates of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, violence and delinquency, and mental health problems. Approximately 70% of AI/AN youth reside in urban areas, where negative outcomes on behavioral health and well-being are often high. Identity development…