We investigate how context might influence adolescent boys' and girls' ambition and the impact of gender role conformity and social status. Adolescent participants (N = 270) reported their ambition in one of three experimentally manipulated contexts: future education, future work, or a control. Boys experienced a significant negative drop in…

The current study examined financial stress, career-related optimism, and psychological distress from the age of 19 (2013; n = 5,787), until the age of 25 (2019; n = 2,933) using the Longitudinal Surveys of Australia Youth (2009 cohort). Longitudinal mediation using latent growth curve modeling observed trajectories of change across young…

At what ages are young people most open to political influence? We test the "formative years" model that underscores the importance of childhood experiences for political development against the "impressionable years" model that asserts the primacy of lessons learned during adolescence. To assess the relative merits of these…

In light of the increasing global population of young people, practitioners and policy makers face formidable challenges in promoting positive youth development and the successful transition to adulthood. Youth participatory research is one promising and rapidly growing approach for generating evidence to inform policy and intervention strategies…

This study examines the role of human-animal interaction (HAI) in relations between sexual and gender minority (SGM) stress, personal hardiness, and psychological stress during emerging adulthood. Data for the current sample reflect 136 SGM emerging adults between the ages of 18 to 21 years who reported living with a companion animal in the past…

Increasingly evidence suggests that the self-reported health status (SRH) of 2nd generation immigrant youth (native-born youth with at least one parent who was born abroad) may be lower than non-immigrant youth. This cross-sectional study compared the SRH of 2nd generation immigrant to non-immigrant youth (n = 291), accounting for confounders…

Research reports that young people aged 10 to 24 years are reluctant to seek help for a mental health problem due to multiple factors and that intervention within this demographic is critical. The aim of this review was to critique the existing literature, using a systematic approach on how the "type of helping relationship" affects…

Pregnancy rates among youth experiencing homelessness are much higher than those of their housed peers, yet limited research exists on this population's abortion experiences. This study examined abortion attitudes, experiences, and decision making through individual interviews with 30 female, male, and gender-fluid youth (ages 18-21 years)…

School belonging is a topic of growing interest given its connection with school dropout, academic achievement, students' behavior, and adolescent well-being. Until recently, most of this literature came from Anglo-Saxon contexts, mainstream schools, and quantitative analysis. As a result, there is still a research gap on this issue in different…

This study examined the circumstances under which family adults in Ghana were aware of their adolescent children's involvement in premarital relationships. It was hypothesized that factors related to the seriousness and social acceptability of the relationship would influence the likelihood of family adults' awareness in gender-specific ways. Data…

This study examined a multidimensional model of school engagement (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004) among low-income, urban Latino adolescents. Ecological theory suggests that students' school, family, and peer contexts influence their behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Using qualitative methods of inquiry, this study…

Through a cross-sectional design, this study examines whether practices of active participation (AP; that is, opportunities for decision making and leadership) and quality of relationships (QR) established between members of youth organizations (i.e., affective and instrumental support) relate to dimensions of youth's identity (i.e., personal…

Purpose is a concept receiving increasing attention in the developmental sciences. Making sense of your place in the world and finding meaning--a process fundamental to purpose--support positive development in adolescence and beyond. Using traditional ethnographic strategies, this article examines the development of purpose among a small group of…

The present study examined multiple sources of strain, particular cyber victimization, and perceived stress from parents, peers, and academics, in relation to late adolescents' (ages 16-18; N = 423) cyber aggression, anxiety, and depression, each assessed 1 year later (Time 2). Three-way interactions revealed that the relationship between Time 1…

This comparative study examined how participation in an early childhood development (ECD) program, "Better Beginnings, Better Futures," for children (ages 4-8) relates to sense of community (SOC) in later adolescence (ages 18-19). Youths' stories (N = 96) about community experiences, collected by semistructured, open-ended interviews,…