title: The adolescent perception of invincibility and its influence on teen acceptance of health promotion strategies.
abstract: The purposes of this study were to explore the phenomenon of invincibility and to identify key factors contributing to risk behavior involvement in teens. Semistructured interviews revealed the following common themes: adolescence, a time of transition, the meaning of invincibility, learning the balance of taking chances and being safe, differences between risky and dangerous, and strategies for working with teens. Participants provided insights about intervention strategies that are most effective in working with teens. Their suggestions reinforce the critical importance of teen involvement in shaping, planning, and conducting health promotion interventions for this age-group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Pre-Licensure Program, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834-6868, USA. mwickman@fullerton.edu
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wickman
authors.forename: Nancy Lois Ruth
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Cindy Smith
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Greenberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012309:Risk-Taking; D014481:United States