The People They Know: Links Between Interpersonal Contexts and Adolescent Risky and Health-Promoting Behavior.

This study examined (a) relations between multiple interpersonal contexts and sustained risky and health-promoting behavior over a 2-year period and (b) health care outcomes of this behavior. Two hundred and ninety 13- to 19-year olds completed 2 phone surveys assessing negative and positive behavior and risk and protective factors in multiple interpersonal contexts. Across context, constructs related to resources, interpersonal connection, and control emerged to predict positive and negative behavior. Adolescents engaging in sustained risky behavior used more health care and had higher expenditures than those who were not; youth engaging in sustained health-promoting behavior had fewer encounters with the health care system and were less costly than those who were not. Findings are discussed relevant to current research on adolescent behavior and policy for intervention and prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]