title: Adolescent risk behaviours and protective factors against peer  influence.
abstract: This study examined the relationships between protective factors and involvement in risk behaviour of Italian adolescents with friends involved in risk. Protective factors were drawn from models of peers and from individual skills (perceived regulatory self-efficacy, intolerant attitudes about deviance) and orientation (to health, school, religion). The data are from two waves, 1 year apart, of a questionnaire survey of adolescents in northwestern Italy. Participants were 908 adolescents (42% boys) ages 14-16 years. Results of a hierarchical regression revealed that religiosity is a protective factor and that friends' models for conventional behaviours and positive attitude about health can mitigate the influence of deviant friends on adolescent risk behaviour 1 year later, even after controlling for prior levels of risk behaviour. Possible implications of this study suggest the importance of implementing preventive interventions by involving the peer group, especially at about 16 years, and working with heterogeneous (deviant and nondeviant) groups.
authors.affiliation: University of Aosta Valley, Department of Human and Social Sciences, Strada Cappuccini 2/A, 11100 Aosta, Italy. e.cattelino@univda.it
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cattelino
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Glowacz
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Born
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bina
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Calandri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires