A Developmental Model for Risk Avoidance in Adolescents Confronting AIDS

Epidemiologic studies indicate that HIV infection is on the rise within 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 adolescents have focused primarily on educational methods alerting teenagers to modes of disease transmission. Among these programs, demonstration and role-playing techniques have shown promise, but have not significantly 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 productive alternative to traditional interventions, since it directly addresses the adolescent's cognitive limitations with regard to the prediction of behavioral outcomes. This paper recommends a prevention model using previewing that is designed to lower the incidence of AIDS transmission among adolescents.