Adolescent substance use: assessment of risk factors and risk prevention in a comparative perspective

Alcohol, tobacco, drugs: many people first try them as teens, which is also the age when substance abuse problems may begin. But the social and psychological factors behind them are unclear.
Dr. Nicoletta Balbo is measuring teens’ evalution of risk and identifying causes of substance use through statistical analyses of interacting risk factors. Rigorous, quantitative comparisons of multiple European countries like this are rare. Yet, identifying “universal” elements could lead to effective prevention strategies.