Research Findings

Research with adolescents and young adults has established that psychosocial protective factors, both in the individual (e.g., intolerant attitudes toward transgression, personal value on health and fitness) and in the ecology of everyday life (e.g., peer models for prosocial behavior, teacher support at school), not only lower the likelihood of a young person engaging in risk behavior, but also buffer the impact of exposure to risk factors (e.g., peer models for drug use, gangs in the neighborhood).

Costa, Frances M., Richard Jessor, Mark S. Turbin, Qi Dong, Hongchuan Zhang, and Changhai Wang. "The Role of Social Contexts in Adolescence: Context Protection and Context Risk in the United States and China." Applied Developmental Science 9, no. 2 (2005): 67-85.