Measuring risk and protective factors for substance use, delinquency, and other adolescent problem behaviors. The Communities That Care Youth Survey

• Published in: Evaluation review Vol. 26; no. 6; pp. 575 - 601
• Main Authors: Arthur, Michael W, Hawkins, J David, Pollard, John A, Catalano, Richard F, Baglioni, Jr, A J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC 01.12.2002
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - classification; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescents; Behavior Problems; Child; Community; Community Health Planning - methods; Criminality; Delinquency; Drug Abuse; Family Characteristics; Female; Human behaviour; Humans; Juvenile Delinquency; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Measurement; Polls & surveys; Risk; Risk Assessment - methods; Risk Assessment - statistics & numerical data; Risk Factors; Social research; Students - psychology; Substance abuse; Substance-Related Disorders - prevention & control; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers; United States; Youth; United States
• ISSN: 0193-841X; 1552-3926
• DOI: 10.1177/0193841X0202600601

Risk and protective factors predictive of adolescent problem behaviors such as substance abuse and delinquency are promising targets for preventive intervention. Community planners should assess and target risk and protective factors when designing prevention programs. This study describes the development, reliability, and validity of a self-report survey instrument for adolescents ages 11 to 18 that measures an array of risk and protective factors across multiple ecological domains as well as adolescent problem behaviors. The instrument can be used to assess the epidemiology of risk and protection in youth populations and to prioritize specific risk and protective factors in specific populations as targets for preventive intervention.