A DEVELOPMENTAL MODEL FOR RISK AVOIDANCE IN ADOLESCENTS CONFRONTING AIDS

Epidemiologic studies indicate that HIV infection is on the rise withi n the adolescent population. Much of this increase has been attributed to the teenager's developmental proclivity for risk-taking behavior. Intervention programs designed to curtail high-risk behavior among ado lescents have focused primarily on educational methods alerting teenag ers to modes of disease transmission. Among these programs, demonstrat ion and role-playing techniques have shown promise, but have not signi ficantly modified behavior patterns. In contrast, a new developmental technique known as previewing advocates the use of representation and enactment to promote risk deterrence. Previewing may serve as a produc tive alternative to traditional interventions, since it directly addre sses the adolescent's cognitive limitations with regard to the predict ion of behavioral outcomes. This paper recommends a prevention model u sing previewing that is designed to lower the incidence of AIDS transm ission among adolescents.