conclusions the findings suggest that the development of preventive programs will contribute to increases in the child-mother closeness relationship and will help to prevent the onset of substance use in children. background considering the fundamental role that parents play in a family dynamic, it is important to explore the parent-child relationship and examine what protective behaviors or ri...

BACKGROUND Skin cancer prevention interventions that target the growing number of U.S. Hispanics are lacking. The current study examined the prevalence and correlates of sun protection and exposure behaviors (i.e., sunscreen use, shade seeking, use of sun protective clothing, and sunburns) among U.S. Hispanics with sun sensitive skin, with a focus on potential differences according to accultura...

OBJECTIVE This study examined the effectiveness of three peer-facilitated brief alcohol interventions-small group motivational interviewing, motivationally enhanced peer theater, and an interactive alcohol-education program-with students engaging in high-risk drinking who were referred for alcohol policy violations. METHOD Undergraduate students referred for alcohol policy violations (N = 695...

It is widely acknowledged that pain is a universal experience that affects human beings across the life span, serving an important protective function. Typical protective behaviors are the withdrawal from the noxious stimulus, nonverbal expressions that signal others for impending harm, and verbal utterances. Some of these occur involuntarily, as a reflex, whereas other behaviors are more delib...

Pesticide exposure is associated with deleterious health effects. Prior studies suggest Latino farmworkers perceive little control over their occupational health. Using the Health Belief Model as a theoretical guide, we explored the perceptions of Latino farmworkers working in tobacco in North Carolina (n = 72) about benefits and facilitators of pesticide protective behaviors as well as barrier...

BACKGROUND Searching for a coherent meaning in life has long been proposed to be a protective factor in adolescent development. PURPOSE The present study aimed to examine meaning in life as a protective factor in a largely unstudied population: Romanian adolescents. Additionally, we sought to provide a novel, multidimensional assessment of several health-related variables (substance abuse, he...

Prosocial behaviors, actions intended to help others, may serve a protective function against association with deviant peers and subsequent delinquent and antisocial behaviors. The present study examined the relations among specific types of prosocial behaviors, deviant peer affiliation, and delinquent and aggressive behaviors. Six hundred and sixty-six adolescents (46% girls; M age = 15.33, SD...

Empirical evidence examining how risk and protective behaviors may possibly mediate the association between gang membership and school violence is limited. This study utilizes a statewide representative sample of 152 023 Latino, Black and White seventh graders from California to examine a theoretical model of how school risk (e.g. truancy, school substance use and risky peer approval) and prote...

A wealth of studies has indicated that greater cognitive ability is related to healthier behaviors and outcomes throughout the lifespan. In the present paper, we focus on objective numeracy (ability with numbers) and present findings from a study conducted in the Peruvian Highlands that examines the relations among formal education, numeracy, other more general cognitive skills, and a sex-relat...