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In this paper, the prevalence of child and adolescent substance use is briefly presented. The nature of the co-occurrence of multiple antisocial behaviors, including substance use, during adolescence, and the causal factors which contribute to the early onset and maintenance of youth substance use and substance abuse are discussed. Emphasis is placed on parent and family factors, and children's social competence, which are associated with substance use, and which are the potentially mutable targets of family-based preventive interventions. Family-based preventive interventions were classified as either primarily addressing parent and family skills training, or addressing family therapy and in-home family support models. Distinctions were also made between programs that were universal or selective preventive interventions, or that were indicated preventive interventions directed at high risk individuals who were already showing early signs of being on the trajectory to substance abuse. Intervention research conducted within the past 30 years within these topical areas are summarized within tables, and findings indicate consistent intervention effects on children's problem behaviors, and on potential mediating processes such as parenting behaviors and aspects of family functioning. Recent studies with strong designs are described in greater depth. The paper concludes with discussions of the gaps in current intervention research, of barriers encountered in the implementation and evaluation of family-based prevention programs, and of the implications for future preventive intervention research and for social policy related to family-based preventive interventions.

Although seminal reviews have been published on acculturation and mental health in adults and adolescents, far less is known about how acculturation influences adolescent interpersonal and self-directed violence. This article aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive review of research linking acculturation and violence behavior for adolescents of three minority populations: Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI), and American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN). The preponderance of evidence from studies on Latino and A/PI youth indicate that higher levels of adolescent assimilation (i.e., measured by time in the United States, English language use, U.S. cultural involvement, or individualism scales) were a risk factor for youth violence. Ethnic group identity or culture-of-origin involvement appear to be cultural assets against youth violence with supporting evidence from studies on A/PI youth; however, more studies are needed on Latino and AI/AN youth. Although some evidence shows low acculturation or cultural marginality to be a risk factor for higher levels of fear, victimization, and being bullied, low acculturation also serves as a protective factor against dating violence victimization for Latino youth. An important emerging trend in both the Latino and, to a lesser extent, A/PI youth literature shows that the impact of acculturation processes on youth aggression and violence can be mediated by family dynamics. The literature on acculturation and self-directed violence is extremely limited and has conflicting results across the examined groups, with high acculturation being a risk factor for Latinos, low acculturation being a risk factor of A/PI youth, and acculturation-related variables being unrelated to suicidal behavior among AI/AN youth. Bicultural skills training as a youth violence and suicide prevention practice is discussed.

The purposes of the study were (a) to identify disparities between urban and rural adults in oral health and (b) to examine contextual (i.e., external environment and access to dental care) and individual (i.e., predisposing, enabling, and lifestyle behavioral) factors associated with oral health problems in a community population. Study data were derived from a two-stage, telephone-mailed survey conducted in 2006. The subjects were 2,591 adults aged 18 years and older. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel statistics for categorical variables were applied to explore conditional independence between both health access and individual factors and oral health problems after controlling for the urban or rural residence. Logistic regression was used to investigate the simultaneous associations of contextual and individual factors in both rural and urban areas. Approximately one quarter (24.1%) of the study population reported oral health problems. Participants residing in rural areas reported more oral health disparities. Oral health problems were significantly associated with delaying dental care. These problems also were more common among those who were less educated, were African American, skipped breakfast every day, and currently smoked. The study findings suggest that oral health disparities persist for people in rural areas, and improving oral health status is strongly related to better access to oral health care and improved lifestyles in both rural and urban areas.

This paper presents a framework that integrates and extends the literature on psychosocial mechanisms mediating poverty and the development of antisocial behavior. It provides a model to explain why some poor children outgrow early antisocial behavior, while others from the same environment adopt increasingly severe antisocial behaviors. The ability to differentiate these effects of poverty on antisocial or prosocial behavior provides theoretical guidelines for preventive intervention.

There is a dearth of studies concerning the functions of aggression among Latino/a youth despite the fact they are one of the fastest growing youth populations in the United States. We examined individual, peer, cultural, and community level indicators of reactive and proactive aggression and determined whether these relationships were moderated by acculturative dissonance (e.g., culturally specific family conflicts arising from the acculturation process) among a sample of Latino/a adolescents who were predominantly of Mexican heritage. Consistent with prior evidence, results revealed that peer delinquency was uniquely associated with proactive aggression, whereas impulsivity was uniquely associated with reactive aggression. Further, acculturative dissonance was uniquely associated with proactive but not reactive aggression. No moderating effects for acculturative dissonance were found, indicating that the significant risk factors in our study were associated with proactive and reactive aggression regardless of the level of acculturative dissonance experienced. Notably, acculturative dissonance was a unique risk factor for proactive aggression and thus may be an important target for prevention and interventions among Latino/a youth. Consequently, interventions designed to prevent culturally specific family conflicts and promote family functioning may be particularly useful in mitigating the risk of aggression intended to achieve social and material awards among in this population.

The study describes the long-term outcome of a program aimed at the prevention of eating disorders in a world-class, residential ballet school for female and male students, ages 10–18. The prevention program followed the paradigm of health promoting schools outlined by the World Health Organization and involved systemic changes as well as direct interventions with students. Three all-school surveys have been conducted, the baseline survey was conducted in 1987, within the first year of implementation of the program, and the second and third ones in 1991 and 1996, respectively. Measures included the Diagnostic Survey for Eating Disorders, the Eating Attitude Test, and the Eating Disorder Inventory. Comparisons between the baseline cohort and the two latter cohorts, revealed significant reductions in disordered eating patterns and disturbed attitudes about eating and body shape, as well as significant increases in healthy eating patterns. The study suggests the benefits of implementing multifaceted prevention programs for eating disorders in high risk settings.