The present literature review aims to investigate the effectiveness of family- shared meals as protective factor against at-risk behaviours during adolescence years. A selection process was run on 126 papers resulting from search on scientific databanks Pubmed, PsycArticles, Scopus e Psychology and Behavioural Science Collection. 12 records published between 1999 and 2017 are here examined to address the following research questions. What behaviours family meals’ frequency of attendance can counteract as a protective factor? Additionally, the current review will investigate which behaviours frequent family meals attendance can promote in order to improve health. Moreover, the causal relations and the interplays among family meals frequency and other family-related variables are taken into account. The present review discusses the current findings on the phenomenon, offering hints to future research and intervention in the field of at-risk behaviours prevention and adolescents’ health promotion.
Keywords: Family meals, adolescence, risk-behaviours.