Purpose

Adolescent & Family Health, a Journal of the Institute for Youth Development promotes healthy decision-making for the nation's youth through research, education, and action. The first issue of this scholarly, peer-reviewed journal will be available in the fall of 2000.

While other scientific journals cover the topic of adolescent health and individual risk behaviors, the articles tend to address risk behaviors from a limited paradigm such as school systems, child development interventions, family planning programs, juvenile justice, and public health and preventive medicine. Often the research focuses on a single risk behavior, although current research and experience demonstrate clearly that risk behaviors are interconnected. The Institute promotes a comprehensive approach to the avoidance of the major risks of adolescence: alcohol, drugs, sex, tobacco, and violence.

Furthermore, the Institute for Youth Development plans to emphasize the role of family and parenting in shaping teenage behavior. Despite the perception that parents and other home influences are overwhelmed by negative forces in society such as violent video games, permissiveness in the media, and unhealthy peer attitudes, most adolescents do not habitually engage in risk behaviors.

In the largest study ever conducted of the behavior choices made by adolescents, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, funded by the federal government, one clear fact emerges. Researchers consistently find that the relationship children have with their parents is the key ingredient in determining whether youth will become involved in the major risks of adolescence. While this fact is generally acknowledged, literature documenting the impact of parenting, family structure, and communication styles, as well as positive community, school, and faith influences on adolescent risk behavior is extremely limited considering the importance of these factors.

Adolescent & Family Health seeks to address this void of information and analysis by encouraging researchers and practitioners concerned with adolescent risk behaviors to investigate more thoroughly the factors in family and other social institutions that produce healthy adolescent behavior.

Content Focus

Adolescent & Family Health is designed as a peer-reviewed quarterly publication for objective, scientific research that focuses on the common factors influencing adolescent adoption or avoidance of alcohol, drugs, sex, tobacco, and violence. The Journal will seek unpublished original research and evaluations of youth risk-avoidance program outcomes, particularly for those programs that take a comprehensive approach to the involvement of family and other significant influences.

Articles that illuminate the relationships between adolescent risk behavior and the influence of factors such as parents and family, other adult authority figures, extracurricular activities, sports, faith communities and activities, academic achievement, peer groups, and the media will be of special interest to the Journal. The Journal's perspective will focus beyond the demographic, socioeconomic, and other characteristics of differing adolescent cohorts. Adolescent & Family Health will feature research and analysis that represents a broad range of theory and experience regarding the development of adolescent character traits that empower youth to make self-directed decisions for risk avoidance.

To the extent that pre-adolescent influences carry forward into later adoption or avoidance of risk behavior, these too will be of interest. Evaluation and research regarding the effect of adolescent risk behavior on early adult life, family, education, and career will also be encouraged to identify patterns in the sequelea of adolescent risk-taking behaviors. As an interdisciplinary publication, the Journal will carry contributions from researchers in the fields of clinical medicine, behavioral health, sociology, education, and public health as well as from the humanities and the arts.

The Journal's editorial style will encourage authors to present research questions, results, and conclusions in non-technical language to assure readability to a broad multidisciplinary audience .

Audience and Distribution

The audience for Adolescent & Family Health will include research program managers and researchers representing varied disciplines studying adolescent behaviors. Additionally, readers will include professionals whose practice includes adolescents and families, and others who are concerned with the incidence, development, and consequences of adolescent risk behaviors. These professionals are expected to represent the fields of behavioral health, education, clinical medicine, sociology, law enforcement and public safety, public health, other related health and social disciplines, clergy, policymakers, and media.

Distribution of Adolescent & Family Health will be to institutions and individuals in the described audience.