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Adolescent Health

The Role of Individual Differences

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Part of the Adolescence and Society Series series

Adolescence is one of the most turbulent yet exciting phases in life. Increased autonomy brings with it new health risks ranging from drugs and sexually transmitted disease, to eating disorders and suicidal depression. Even though todays teenagers are more concerned with and educated about their health than any previous generation, they still engage in risky behaviour.

Adolescent Health explores how individual differences contribute to health and illness across a wide range of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. Patrick Heaven blends the latest research findings from a range of sources with practical suggestions on how to improve health care services for adolescents. Adolescent Health will prove valuable to professionals working with young people, social science students and parents.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables. Foreword by Dr C. Peterson. Preface. Chapter 1. General Introduction: Introduction, Definitions of Health, Conceptions of illness and health among adolescents, Adolescence: a period of health risk, Summary Chapter 2. Health Education: Introduction, Adolescent injury and disease, Health education strategies, Adolescent health services, Models of health behaviour, Summary Chapter 3. Stress and Coping: Introduction, The Nature of Stress, Stress during the adolescent years, Types of stressors, Causes and correlates of adolescent stress, Coping with stress, Summary Chapter 4. Body Image and Eating Behaviours: Introduction, Controlling ones weight, Self-perceptions of body image, Eating disorders, The treatment of eating disorders, Summary Chapter 5. Sex and AIDS: Introduction, Sexual development, Attitudes to sex, Sexual behaviours and condoms, Predicting condom use, Summary Chapter 6. Substance abuse: Alcohol, Cigarettes and Other Drugs: Introduction, Patterns of substance abuse, Syndrome of problem behaviour, Theoretical perspectives, Summary Chapter 7. Mental Health: Schizophrenia, Depression and Suicide: Introduction, Schizophrenia, Depression, Suicide, Summary Chapter 8. Lifestyle, Exercise and Diet: Introduction, The concept of lifestyle, Exercise and fitness, Diet and health, Attitudes to food and nutrition, Psychological predictors of a healthy lifestyle, Changing lifestyle, Summary Chapter 9. Concluding Comments: Introduction, Empowerment, Improving Health services for adolescents.

Author Biography

Patrick C. L. Heaven is Senior Lecturer in psychology at the University of Wollongong, Australia. His previous publications include Contemporary Adolescence: A Social Psychological Approach (1994); Adolescence: An Australian Perspective (1990, edited by Heaven and Callan) and Life Span Development (1992, edited).