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IJERPH
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Prevention of High-Risk Behaviors in Adolescence
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Prevention of High-Risk Behaviors in Adolescence

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral and Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 4651

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Robert Andrew Yockey

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA
Interests: quantitative methods; adolescent health; substance use; minority health; LGBTQ+ health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Adolescence is a time of critical development for emerging youth, characterized by sensation seeking, psychological growth, and potential engagement in high-risk behaviors. These high-risk behaviors may lead to future health problems in a person’s lifespan, if not prevented. This Special Issue will highlight risk behaviors across adolescence, their risk factors, and prevention programming designed to mitigate high-risk behavior among adolescents. Research for this issue is characterized by high-level analytical methods (e.g., structural equation modeling, meta-analysis, and secondary data) and offers potential ideas for prevention science for adolescent health.

Dr. Robert Andrew Yockey
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • adolescent health
  • prevention
  • epidemiology
  • health promotion
  • adolescence

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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13 pages, 910 KiB  
Article
Polysubstance Use among Maryland High School Students: Variations across County-Level School Districts
by Lindsey Webb, Kechna Cadet, Rashelle Musci, Shaheen Kurani, Laura K. Clary, Danielle German and Renee M. Johnson
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(5), 639; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21050639 - 17 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1505
Abstract
Background: Polysubstance use is a highly prevalent public health issue, particularly among adolescents, and decisions on prevention programming and policies are often made at the local level. While there is a growing literature examining patterns of polysubstance use among adolescents, little is known [...] Read more.
Background: Polysubstance use is a highly prevalent public health issue, particularly among adolescents, and decisions on prevention programming and policies are often made at the local level. While there is a growing literature examining patterns of polysubstance use among adolescents, little is known about differences in those patterns across geographic regions. Methods: Using a large, representative sample of high school students from the state of Maryland (n = 41,091) from the 2018 Maryland Youth Risk Behavior Survey, we conducted a latent class analysis (LCA) of adolescent substance use along nine binary indicators, including past 30-day combustible tobacco, e-cigarette, alcohol, and cannabis use, as well as lifetime use of prescription opioids, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and injection drug use. Measurement invariance across counties was examined using the Multiple Indicators and Multiple Causes (MIMIC) procedure. Results: The results of the LCA show three classes of adolescent substance use for the total sample: (1) low substance use, (2) commonly used substances (i.e., e-cigarette, alcohol, and cannabis use), and (3) polysubstance use. The results from the MIMIC procedure demonstrated geographic differences in students’ endorsement of specific indicators and their class membership. Conclusions: These differences demonstrate the need for an examination of local trends in adolescent polysubstance use to inform multi-tiered prevention programming and policy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention of High-Risk Behaviors in Adolescence)
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8 pages, 299 KiB  
Brief Report
Past-Year Blunt Smoking among Youth: Differences by LGBT and Non-LGBT Identity
by Robert Andrew Yockey and Tracey E. Barnett
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5304; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075304 - 29 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2271
Abstract
Blunt use (co-use of tobacco and marijuana) is a growing phenomenon among youth and disproportionately affects minority populations. LGBT+ populations are significantly more likely to use marijuana and tobacco, but this relationship has yet to be examined among LGBT+ adolescents. This analysis aimed [...] Read more.
Blunt use (co-use of tobacco and marijuana) is a growing phenomenon among youth and disproportionately affects minority populations. LGBT+ populations are significantly more likely to use marijuana and tobacco, but this relationship has yet to be examined among LGBT+ adolescents. This analysis aimed to investigate past-year blunt use among a national sample of youth and delineate the differences between non-LGBT and LGBT+ youth. We used Wave 2 of the Population and Tobacco Health (PATH) study. We analyzed data from 7518 youth, comparing past-year blunt use between LGBT+ and non-LGBT youth, controlling for biological sex, race, and age using weighted logistic regression models. Greater than 1 in 10 youth (10.6%) reported using blunts in the past year. More than one in five (21.6%) LGBT+ youth reported using blunts in the past year. There were no significant differences between boys and girls. Older youth (17 years old) were more likely to use blunts in the past year (aPR: 3.04, 95% CI 2.48, 3.79) than younger youth. Compared with non-LGBT youth, LGBT+ youth were 2.17 times (95% CI 1.86, 2.54) more likely to report using blunts in the past year. Blunt use and its respective impact on health outcomes among developing youth are of concern to public health. These findings demonstrate that certain subgroups of youth are more at risk for use and emphasize the need for tailored interventions to mitigate initiation and current use, given that one of the goals of the Healthy People 2030 initiative is to “Improve the health, safety, and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals”. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention of High-Risk Behaviors in Adolescence)
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