title: Risk behavior in a community sample of children and adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  First, to investigate whether there is covariation between risk behaviors, including suicidality, in a community probability sample of children and adolescents; and second, to investigate whether risk behavior is associated with selected potential correlates.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 9- to 17-year-old youths (N = 1,285) and their caretakers were interviewed in the Methods for the Epidemiology of Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders (MECA) Study. The risk behaviors were marijuana smoking, alcohol use, intercourse, fighting, cigarette smoking, and suicidal ideation/attempts. Relationships between the risk behaviors were described using odds ratios. Linear regression analyses of an index of risk behavior on the selected potential correlates of risk behavior were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant relationships between all pairs of risk behaviors. The score on the index of risk behavior was associated with stressors, lack of resources, family psychiatric disorder, psychopathology, and functional impairment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinicians should be alerted to the possibility of risk behaviors, especially in children and adolescents engaging in other risk behaviors and those with inadequate resources, stressors, functional impairment, or psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University, USA. aflisher@curie.uct.ac.za
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Flisher
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hoven
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Bird
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Greenwald
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Lahey
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Regier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schwab-Stone
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shaffer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003237:Connecticut; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D016017:Odds Ratio; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011647:Puerto Rico; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*