Chapter 2: Cognitive

Adolescents are more likely to be injured or die from behaviors under their own control than adults are. Why?

• Adolescent Decision Making: Implications for Prevention Programs provides an overview of cognitive approaches to adolescent decision making and risk, including excellent background information and references.

• Looking for statistics on adolescent risk behaviors? Try these sites:
  • 2000 With Adolescent Health Chartbook provides a tremendous amount of information about a wide range of adolescent risk behaviors, health practices, and access to healthcare. Produced by the Center for Disease Control.
  • Criminal victimization and juvenile arrests, among other things, are reported by National Criminal Justice Research Service. This site includes interesting spotlights on girls in the juvenile justice system and victimization of college students.
  • Car accidents, health conditions, weapons use, and many other risk factors and activities are summarized by the Department of Health and Human Services in their report Trends in the Well-being of America's Children and Youth.

• Although grim, looking at age-related changes in the causes of death and accidents broken down by age provides interesting insight into age-related changes in developmental patterns. Information on accidents, injuries, death, and mortality can be found through the following sources:
  • The Health 2003 United States chartbook contains breakdowns of causes of death for 15-19 year olds. Additional information on adolescent injuries are reported at their portal on Adolescents and Teens.
  • American's Children 2003, which has information on children and families from birth through age 20.
  • Changing America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-being by Race and Hispanic Origin, an excellent source of information on smoking, victimization, healthcare, and other indicators broken down by ethnicity and social class.