Helping Adolescents at Risk: Prevention of Multiple Problem Behaviors - Hardcover

"Multiproblem Youth summarizes research on the etiology and consequences of multiple problem behaviors and on a wide variety of prevention strategies appropriate for the prenatal through adolescent years. The volume also provides sound advice for translating this wealth of research into practice. The use of nontechnical language makes this work suitable for use by prevention practitioners and policymakers as well as students aspiring to careers in prevention. The book is most appropriate for use in undergraduate classrooms, but will also be useful as a reference in graduate-level courses in prevention."--Denise Gottfredson, PhD, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland, College Park

"This text provides a comprehensive overview of the most current theory, research, and practice related to working with multiproblem youth. It offers an excellent foundation for students and professionals in a range of disciplines. Describing biological and social influences on youth behavior--and reviewing evidence-based interventions that decrease problem behavior--the book provides a road map for anyone designing statewide or local programs to meet the needs of at-risk youth. Prevention specialists, adolescent health specialists, counselors, and public health professionals will all benefit from the information contained in this text, as will students in courses on prevention, adolescent problems, and family and community intervention."--Barbara Cimaglio, Community Prevention Systems, Oregon Department of Human Services

"This book makes the strongest case of any that I have read for developing a national focus on youths with multiple problem behaviors. The writing is clear and precise, and is admirably grounded in theory and a rigorous, well-documented literature review. Among the volume's major contributions is its use of economic analysis to underpin the main thesis while recognizing that such analysis is itself an area of research. The kinds of solutions proposed are scientifically based and are not excessively costly--in fact, to ignore the authors' recommendations would ultimately exact a far greater cost."--Sheppard G. Kellam, MD, AIR Center for Integrating Education and Prevention Research in Schools; Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; past president, Society for Prevention Research

"As the field of prevention science has come of age, there has been a growing recognition of the close association among various forms of problem behavior. This book provides the most comprehensive and systematic look yet at what is currently known about youth with multiple problems and how to intervene to change their life course. The extant literature is viewed from the dual perspective of public health and lifespan development, and the authors identify the most effective programs and policies for prevention and treatment. Lucid, well-written, and authoritative, this is an essential resource for prevention scientists, policymakers, public health professionals, educators, and practitioners."--Gilbert J. Botvin, PhD, Institute for Prevention Research, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Clinicians and researchers have long recognized that adolescent delinquency, substance use, smoking, and risky sexual behavior tend to co-occur. Until now, however, the field has lacked a thoughtful examination of why this pattern exists and the implications for research, policy, and practice. Filling a crucial gap, this volume provides a comprehensive analysis of current knowledge on the multiproblem phenomenon. Leading interdisciplinary experts draw on clinical and public health perspectives to shed new light on the causes and consequences of adolescent behavior problems/m-/and to examine "what works" in prevention and treatment. Mapping out important future directions for the field, this is a state-of-the-science sourcebook and text for anyone working with or studying adolescents at risk. The volume first reviews the epidemiology of serious youth problems and documents their costs to individuals, families, and communities. A lifespan developmental perspective is brought to bear on understanding risk and protective factors for problem behavior, with consideration of biological, family, school, peer, and community influences.

Building on these foundations, subsequent chapters present empirically supported prevention and treatment approaches. Coverage encompasses a range of applications for teens who are already showing signs of problems, as well as programs for the general population of adolescents and early interventions for children and families. The book summarizes the targets and methods of each approach, reviews the evidence for its efficacy, and provides a cost/n-/benefit analysis wherever possible. Particular attention is given to helping the reader differentiate between practices that have been demonstrated effective and those that have not, and to identifying salient questions for further investigation. Also addressed are ways to promote the development and dissemination of research-based intervention models at the community, state, and national levels. Timely and authoritative, this volume provides vital knowledge for practitioners, researchers, and students in clinical, child, school, and developmental psychology; child and adolescent psychiatry; social work; juvenile justice; public health; and related disciplines.

It will serve as a uniquely informative text in advanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses. Ted R. Miller, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation Phillippe Cunningham, Medical University of South Carolina James H. Derzon, Pacific Institute for Research and E