Adolescent Problem Behaviors: Issues and Research

Adolescence has long been recognized as the developmental period during which deviant and criminal behaviors were most likely to emerge. This volume presents recent cutting-edge theory and research about the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of adolescent problem behaviors. The material presented is unique in that it features the work of some of the most respected researchers in a wide range of disciplines including history and sociology, developmental, clinical, and social psychology, and psychiatry, behavioral genetics, and criminology. Despite this wide variation in perspectives, both common and unique themes and lessons learned about adolescents who engage in problem and risk-taking behaviors and society's responses to these adolescents emerge. To maximize cross-disciplinary integration, each author was asked to discuss two broad topics that cut across disciplinary and theoretical boundaries: gender differences, and prevention or intervention strategies. Finally, researchers and practitioners can access multi-disciplinary perspectives on adolescent problem behaviors in a single, highly thought-provoking and informative text. This book will be of interest, and is accessible, to a wide range of social science scholars and students.