Saewyc Elizabeth M, Tonkin Roger
McCreary Centre Society and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Paediatr Child Health. 2008 Jan;13(1):43-7. doi: 10.1093/pch/13.1.43.
Although risk behaviours can threaten healthy youth development, reducing risks alone is not sufficient to help youth successfully negotiate adolescence. Promoting protective factors that buffer risk, such as family and school connectedness, community engagement and positive peer support, are also important for helping youth to thrive. Since 1992, the Adolescent Health Surveys conducted by McCreary Centre Society (Vancouver, British Columbia) have monitored both risk behaviours and protective factors among high school students across British Columbia. They have shown that, contrary to media images and community perceptions, the majority of young people are not exposed to risk factors such as violence and abuse; most do not have unprotected sex, drink and drive, use illegal drugs or consider suicide. They have also documented key protective factors that are linked to lower rates of risk behaviours and more positive outcomes, even for youth who face unsafe environments, family problems and other stressors. The shift toward assessing and promoting protective factors is a major paradigm change in adolescent health care, and clinicians can be an important partner with families and schools to foster healthy youth development.
尽管风险行为会威胁青少年的健康发展，但仅减少风险不足以帮助青少年成功度过青春期。促进那些能缓冲风险的保护因素，如家庭和学校联系、社区参与以及积极的同伴支持，对于帮助青少年茁壮成长也很重要。自1992年以来，麦克里里中心协会（位于不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华）开展的青少年健康调查对不列颠哥伦比亚省高中生的风险行为和保护因素都进行了监测。这些调查表明，与媒体形象和社区认知相反，大多数年轻人并未接触到暴力和虐待等风险因素；大多数人没有进行无保护措施的性行为、酒后驾车、使用非法药物或考虑自杀。调查还记录了一些关键的保护因素，这些因素与较低的风险行为发生率以及更积极的结果相关，即使对于面临不安全环境、家庭问题和其他压力源的青少年也是如此。向评估和促进保护因素的转变是青少年医疗保健领域的一个重大范式转变，临床医生可以成为与家庭和学校合作促进青少年健康发展的重要伙伴。
