Protective Factors in Adolescent Health Behavior

• Published in: Journal of personality and social psychology 1998-09, Vol.75 (3), p.788-800
• Main Authors: Jessor, Richard, Turbin, Mark S, Costa, Frances M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - ethnology; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescent Health; Adolescents; African Americans - psychology; Behavior; Biological and medical sciences; Causal analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; European Continental Ancestry Group - psychology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health; Health Behavior; Health Behavior - ethnology; Health education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; High School Students; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Human; Humans; Illness and personality; Interpersonal relations; Personality, behavior and health; Protection; Protective Factors; Psychological Factors; Psychology; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychosocial Factors; Regression Analysis; Risk; Risk-Taking; Secondary school students; Self Care - psychology; Social behaviour; Social Environment; Social policy; Social psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers; Urban schools; Whites
• ISSN: 0022-3514; 1939-1315
• DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.75.3.788

The role of psychosocial protective factors in adolescent health-enhancing behaviors-healthy diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, good dental hygiene, and seatbelt use-was investigated among 1,493 Hispanic, White, and Black high school students in a large, urban school district. Both proximal (health-related) and distal (conventionality-related) protective factors have significant positive relations with health-enhancing behavior and with the development of health-enhancing behavior. In addition, in cross-sectional analyses, protection was shown to moderate risk. Key proximal protective factors are value on health, perceived effects of health-compromising behavior, and parents who model health behavior. Key distal protective factors are positive orientation to school, friends who model conventional behavior, involvement in prosocial activities, and church attendance. The findings suggest the importance of individual differences on a dimension of conventionality-unconventionality. Strengthening both proximal and distal protective factors may help to promote healthful behaviors in adolescence.