"The goal of this special issue was to assemble a body of research that would provide state-of-the-art information on theory, methodological approaches, and intervention strategies for understanding and preventing adolescent risk behaviors. Different risk factors and behaviors bring with them different theoretical and methodological challenges, therefore, we assembled manuscripts spanning a variety of concomitants to adolescent risk...."
"An effort was also made to address a broad range of contextual factors that may play a role in the development and continuation of such behaviors. This reflects a recognition that youths today are growing up in an every more hostile world of poverty, crime, violence, strained educational systems, and a host of other challenges that combine to make adolescence a difficult transitional period. Although researchers have historically focused on perceived deficiencies within youths and families, we are now more aware of the broad range of social factors that play a role in the development of risk behaviors..."
"This special issue would not be complete without reports on interventions and prevention programs targeting adolescent risk behaviors. The programs described here are diverse--so are the designed used to assess them...."
"We also encourage readers to consider how these papers incorporate a variety of statistical and methodological approaches..."