This investigation describes what smoking means to adolescents, and attempts to better understand it as a rite of passage. Applying a social ontology to an often-individualized issue, interviews were conducted with 20 adolescent smokers between the ages of 13 and 19. Results show that adolescents possess detailed information about the risks of smoking. Both age and gender differentiated the mea...

Bullying is the systematic abuse of power and is defined as aggressive behaviour or intentional harm-doing by peers that is carried out repeatedly and involves an imbalance of power. Being bullied is still often wrongly considered as a 'normal rite of passage'. This review considers the importance of bullying as a major risk factor for poor physical and mental health and reduced adaptation to a...

Paying off the mortgage, once a widespread rite of passage for homeowners approaching retirement, has become less common in recent years. Concerns are mounting that the increased prevalence of housing debt among older homeowners could compromise financial security in retirement by expanding housing affordability problems, crimping essential nonhousing spending, increasing vulnerability to home ...

IntroductionCurrent gendered health disparities impacting the wellbeing of boys and young men require new early intervention-focussed approaches. Health promotion programs developed with men’s needs preferences in mind commonly report positive outcomes. Male-specific rite passage aim to formally acknowledge life-stage transition from boyhood manhood through a holistic focus on identity, communi...