Abstract
This chapter introduces the Problem Behavior Theory research that has, over recent decades, advanced the understanding of variation in adolescent health. It initially articulates a broader concept of health that goes beyond physical and biological parameters to engage both behavior and the social context in a psychosocial perspective on health. From this perspective, problem behaviors, the initial focus of the theory, are seen as health-compromising behaviors as well, and their impact on health and development is discussed. Central to the discussion is the recent emergence of the concept of behavioral health, and the role that it plays in all the chapters that follow. This introductory chapter also calls attention to the observed covariation of health-related behaviors and the implication that such covariation has for a larger health lifestyle in adolescence. In addition, it emphasizes that the development of behavioral health is in the direction of greater conventionality as adolescents move beyond adolescence and into young adulthood. Finally, the chapter includes a representation of the explanatory model of Problem Behavior Theory that has been applied in the more recent research on adolescent health.
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Jessor, R. (2017). Introduction to the Volume. In: Problem Behavior Theory and Adolescent Health . Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51349-2_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51349-2_1
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