Many adolescents in the United States are at risk from substance abuse, unsafe sexual practices, academic underachievement, crime and violence. What can be done to tackle these growing problems?

The author of this thought-provoking book suggests the need to focus on young people's development in relation to specific features of the individual's environmental 'context' such as family, neighbourhood and culture. By effecting changes in these contexts, in the form of community programmes, researchers can test for differences in children's behaviour and development.