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Peer Relationships, Social Competence, and Substance Abuse Prevention: Implications for the Family
Published in Robert H. Coombs, The Family Context of Adolescent Drug Use, 1988
Gilbert J. Botvin, Stephanie Tortu
One of the major developmental tasks of this period is the formation of an identity separate and distinct from parents and other family members — to discover oneself and define one’s own identity. This leads adolescents to be overly concerned with their public image and how they are perceived by others. Elkind (1978) has referred to this phenomenon as “adolescent egocentrism.” During this period, individuals tend to have a heightened sense of self-consciousness, the focus of which centers on appearance, personal qualities, and abilities. As a result of this heightened sense of self-consciousness, adolescents may feel so anxious and uncomfortable in social situations that they may begin avoiding them. This can lead not only to social isolation, but may undermine the development of important interpersonal skills.
Covariates of risky health behaviors in pediatric cancer survivors during adolescence
Published in Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, 2021
Rachel S. Werk, Jennifer S. Ford
Based on our study, higher positive attitude toward alcohol use and lower knowledge of the risk of binge drinking were significantly associated with alcohol use. Older age, lower knowledge of the risk of smoking, and greater perception that smoking is desirable to others were associated with cigarette use. Our findings invite further studies into moderating variables such as adolescent egocentrism and personal fable when examining risky behaviors within this population as these constructs have been correlated with risk taking behaviors among the general adolescent population.42 Based on our results, effective interventions, programs, and follow-up care should help survivors adopt health promoting behaviors and eliminate these health risk behaviors in order to mitigate the risk for secondary health problems associated with cancer and its treatment. Interventions could focus on increasing adolescents’ knowledge of the risk of smoking and alcohol use since it was significantly associated with both of these behaviors and there remains a gap in adolescent cancer survivors’ knowledge of these risks. As physician recommendations were not significantly correlated with decreased alcohol and smoking use, proposed interventions could train physicians and psychosocial providers in motivational interviewing techniques to effectively deliver messages.