Identifying Similarities and Differences in the Effect of Key Risk and Protective Factors on Deviant Behavior, Social Stability, and Health

• In Event: Assessing Differences in the Impact of Multiple Risk and Protective Factors on Adolescent Behavior

Abstract

A large body of research has been devoted to identifying the risk and protective factors related to delinquent and health-related outcomes. However, a major limitation of this body of research is a lack of studies that seek to identify commonalities in risk and protective factors across a number of different life domains. Therefore, this study seeks to expand on existing research by examining how the same set of individual and contextual risk factors in adolescence predict ten different outcomes spanning risk behavior, social stability, and health-related outcomes in early adulthood. Data from Waves 2 and 3 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) were used. Our results highlight both similarities and differences in risk factors across outcomes. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed.

Authors

• Melanie Soderstrom, University of Central Florida

• Kristina Childs, Univeristy of Central Florida

• Chris Stewart, University of Central Florida