Researchers often define adolescent risk taking in terms of individual behaviors such as alcohol and drug use, early sexual activity, and reckless driving. It is not clear whether these behaviors defined by adults as "risky" have the same meaning for adolescents. This paper describes the development and preliminary testing of an instrument to assess risk taking among young adolescents. The six item scale was constructed by asking small groups of eighth grade boys and girls to describe "things that teenagers your age do for excitement or thrills." The measure was then used in a longitudinal study of 758 young adolescents from three rural counties in Maryland. The scale shows good reliability, as indicated by coefficient alpha and factor analyses. Eighth-grade scores on the scale are associated with the initiation of sexual activity and substance use in ninth grade among virgins and nonusers of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and pills in eighth grade.

Common responses to job loss include stress reactions, depression and anxiety, and lowered self‐esteem. Such emotional reactions can inhibit clients' ability to complete a successful job search and may be barriers to finding suitable employment despite the best efforts of the counselor. This article describes these common reactions to job loss and unemployment, explains how to recognize their symptoms, and discusses ways counselors can address these emotional barriers to finding meaningful reemployment.