Perceptions of Risk and Vulnerability(From Adolescent Risk and Vulnerability: Concepts and Measurement, P 15-49, 2001, Baruch Fischhoff, Elena O. Nightingale et al., eds. -- See NCJ-191229)

• NCJ Number: 191231
• Author(s): Susan G. Millstein; Bonnie L. Halpern-Felsher
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 35 pages
• Sale Source: National Academies Press
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper reviews the existing data on risk perception from the vantage point of adolescents.

Abstract

Much of the interest in adolescents’ perceptions of risk and vulnerability is motivated by the desire to understand why youth engage in potentially threatening behaviors, with an aim toward guiding the development of interventions that would be successful in preventing their onset. This paper focused on understanding why adolescents make the decisions they do and their competence in making these decisions. Why do adolescents engage in potentially threatening behaviors? Are they able to make informed decisions about undergoing or foregoing potentially harmful medical treatments? Should we be granting them more legal rights or should they be more restricted? Existing research has offered insights into how adolescents view risk and vulnerability, identified some important correlates of these constructs, and raised interesting questions concerning the effects of these perceptions on adolescents’ behavior. It has also suggested some important next steps for a comprehensive research agenda and for program development, and some implications for a broad range of social policies concerning adolescents. But the literature is fraught with problems, primarily stemming from issues concerning the measurement of risk perceptions and from the lack of longitudinal studies. The problems identified in this paper are solvable, and future studies should be able to answer many of them. References