Engagement in preventive health behaviors (PHBs; i.e., healthy eating, sleep, and physical activity) during adolescence is associated with reduced risks for chronic conditions, such as diabetes, in adulthood. Although several interventions seek to improve adolescents' engagement in health promoting behaviors, racial- and income-based disparities…

Identity formation is a fundamental developmental process that has significant consequences for youth adjustment during adolescence and beyond. This article presents evidence indicating that ethnic-racial identity, specifically, is an important developmental competency on which prevention science should focus in the interest of promoting positive…

Repeat adolescent pregnancy is a public health problem worldwide. Different interventions aimed at increasing the use of contraception and preventing repeat pregnancies have been implemented and their effectiveness has been evaluated. This systematic review evaluates the results of the efficacy of diverse interventions for contraceptive use and…

Recent research has suggested the importance of understanding for whom programs are most effective (Supplee et al., 2013) and that multidimensional profiles of risk and protective factors may moderate the effectiveness of programs (Lanza & Rhoades, 2012). For school-based prevention programs, moderators of program effectiveness may occur at…

This paper presents the results of a systematic literature review concerning the actual and future uses of chatbots (artificial conversation agents) in youth bullying cases. The study found that while artificial intelligence is highly regarded as an interesting tool by researchers, the technology is not yet good enough to intervene in crisis…

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the prevalence of deliberate self-harm (DSH) among adolescents, which has led to the recognition of this issue as a significant public health challenge. However, school-based prevention programmes for DSH remain scarce. This study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of…

Adolescent suicide is a growing public health concern. This research explores adolescent perceptions of suicide to identify potential focus areas for future prevention programming. This qualitative study utilized focus groups with 14 high school students. Thematic analysis was used to capture key concepts. Salient themes included: "Deciding…

Pornography consumption at a young age may pose a threat for sexual health, due to the presence of aggression and the degradation of women. Sexuality education is viewed as a way to mitigate the effects of inadequate information and counteract certain tendencies that may be learned from pornography. This study involved a systematic review of…

Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among adolescents, globally. Though post-primary, school-based suicide prevention (PSSP) has the potential to be a key strategy for preventing adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STBs), there are persisting challenges to translating PSSP research to practice. Intervention and contextual factors…

This study experimentally tested risk behavior outcomes of "Connecting," a low-cost, self-directed, family-based prevention program for families with youth placed in their care by state child welfare agencies. Families caring for youth aged 11 to 15 years from across Washington State were recruited and randomly assigned to either the…

This study employed integrative data analysis techniques to examine the long-term effects of the family check-up (FCU) on changes in youth suicide risk using three randomized prevention trials, including one trial initiated in early childhood and two initiated in early adolescence. Data were harmonized across studies using moderated nonlinear…

Electronic cigarettes are the most widely used tobacco product among youth in the United States. Although rapidly growing, research on effective message strategies for e-cigarette use prevention is still limited. This study examined the relative effectiveness of gain framing versus loss framing in youth-targeting prevention text messages delivered…

Universal and selective preventive interventions targeting youth behavioral problems have shown crossover effects on suicide risk, the second leading cause of death among youth. However, the mechanisms that explain this long-term unanticipated benefit are understudied and unclear. The current study examines the crossover effects of PROSPER, a…

Unintentional injuries are a leading cause of child death. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a behavioral injury prevention program for children aged 3-18 years and their caregivers. To accommodate families during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic, training was modified to be delivered virtually. Forty-one children aged 3-18 years and 14…

During four decades, numerous school-based bullying prevention programmes have been developed and evaluated. Meta-analyses indicate that such programmes have positive average effects, as compared with treatment as usual. However, the effects are small to moderate, and they are especially weak among some specific groups, such as adolescents. After…