Risk and protective factors, predictive of adolescent problem behaviors, are promising targets for preventive intervention. Acknowledging and addressing substance abuse and other problem behaviors in the youth population in general and among high school students in particular warrant measuring and assessing the predictors of problem behavior as a necessary step to prioritize preventive intervention plans. Longitudinal studies have identified risk and protective factors predictive of adolescent drug abuse, delinquency violence, and school dropout. This study measures risk factors for alcohol, and tobacco abuse among Iranian high school students of ages 15 to 18. The survey covers female and male as well as rural and urban populations using questionnaire modules designed exclusively for adolescents to examine risk factors. A broad set of risk factors in the community, school, family and individual/peer groups are assessed. Peers, parental control, school, self-esteem, and family coherence are found to be the most important risk and protective factors affecting adolescents in this nationwide sample.
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