Joy Dryfoos's book looks at young people aged 10 to 17 growing up in the United States today. Most of these children have a high probability of maturing into responsible adults; however, a certain group - one in four - have only limited potential for becoming productive adults, because they are at high risk of encountering problems in school, at home, or in their communities. This book explores four problem areas that have received a great amount of resources, public interest, and social concern: delinquency, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and school failure.

In examining these problem areas, Dryfoos has three objectives: to present a more cogent picture of adolescents who are at risk of problem behaviours and where they fit in society; to synthesize the experience of programs that have been successful in changing various aspects of these behaviours; and to propose strategies for using this knowledge base to implement more effective approaches to helping youngsters succeed.

For the first time, Adolescents at Risk allows us to see how risky behaviors interrelate and gives us an understanding of the size and scope of the prevention interventions needed. This book will be essential for social and developmental psychologists, sociologists, policy makers, and interested lay persons.