Citation

Abadie I. Medecine Therapeutique Pediatrie 2013; 16(1): 16-22.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013)

DOI

10.1684/mtp.2013.0465

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Risk behaviour in adolescence takes different forms depending on social and family contexts, life history, personality, and sexual identity. Young girls express unhappiness, which they may not be able to express in words, through a number of very different ways (which are not applicable to boys), including sexual risk-taking, consumption of toxic substances, antisocial behaviour, eating problems, self-harm, and attempted suicide. Compared to boys, girls externalise their suffering less, and their actions are more hidden and less obvious. However, it should not be overlooked that risk-taking at this age in life is also part of normal development. The role of the practitioner is to identify worrying risk behaviour, as it becomes repetitive and when the adolescent is in too much danger, and attempt to understand the meaning of the behaviour. This requires, above all, establishing a climate of trust with the teenager but also with his/her family.

Language: fr

Keywords

Prevention; Adolescence; Risk behaviour