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Journal of Research on Adolescence Special Issue: Adolescents in the Majority World

This special issue showcases research on the 90% of the world's adolescents growing up in the “majority world” (i.e., Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean). Articles were solicited that addressed three focal areas by (1) evaluating existing developmental models or proposing culturally based approaches to studying adolescent development; (2) describing successful models of interventions to improve the well-being of youth; and (3) examining how global factors are experienced locally by adolescents.

The global population of adolescents has doubled since 1950, and the scientific study of adolescent development has also burgeoned in recent decades. Much has been learned about the adolescent experience during this period. Yet, the scholarly study of adolescent development has a mixed record when it comes to considering the experiences of adolescents growing up in non-Western contexts. On the one hand, there is a rich body of ethnographic, comparative, and crosscultural research examining how young people growing up in different parts of the world negotiate the life stage between childhood and adulthood (Arnett, 2006a; Hurrelmann, 1994; Mead, 1928; Schlegel & Hewlett, 2011). Scholars around the globe are actively generating information about the experiences of adolescents in their regions (e.g., Brown & Larson, 2002; Jensen, 2011). Many of these scholars are involved in the Society for Research on Adolescence, with about 40 countries represented at the 2012 biennial meeting (Glaspie, 2012). On the other hand, comparatively few empirical studies of young people growing up in non-Western nations are published in English-language journals devoted to the field of adolescent development (Arnett, 2008; Larson, Wilson, & Rickman, 2009). As a result, despite the fact that the vast majority of all young people live in the “majority world” (a term used as an alternative to “developing countries”), most current theories and knowledge about adolescent development derive from research conducted in the “minority world” (primarily Western, industrialized nations).

The goal of this special issue of the Journal of Research on Adolescence (JRA) was to address this imbalance by showcasing research on Majority World adolescents, who make up 90% of the world's youth (UNICEF, 2011).

Download articles online from the Special Issue: Adolescents in the Majority World - March 2013.

  1. ARTICLES

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      Introduction: Special Issue on Adolescents in the Majority World (pages 1–8)

      Marcela Raffaelli, Vanja Lazarevic, Silvia H. Koller, A. Bame Nsamenang and Deepali Sharma

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/jora.12000

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      Globalization and the Identity Remix Among Urban Adolescents in India (pages 9–24)

      Mrinalini A. Rao, Ruhi Berry, Ayesha Gonsalves, Yogita Hastak, Mukti Shah and Robert W. Roeser

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/jora.12002

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      Negotiating Family Obligations and Educational Goals Among College-Enrolled Youth on Jeju Island, Korea (pages 25–34)

      Esther S. Chang

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00814.x

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      The Counterintuitive Psychological Benefits of Intergenerational Discrepancies in Family Prioritization for Jamaican Adolescent–Parent Dyads (pages 35–44)

      Gail M. Ferguson

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00795.x

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      Romantic Experiences of Homeland and Diaspora South Asian Youth: Westernizing Processes of Media and Friends (pages 45–56)

      Amrit Dhariwal and Jennifer Connolly

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00803.x

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      Gender-Typed Behaviors in Friendships and Well-Being: A Cross-Cultural Study of Chinese and American Boys (pages 57–68)

      Taveeshi Gupta, Niobe Way, Rebecca K. McGill, Diane Hughes, Carlos Santos, Yueming Jia, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Xinyin Chen and Huihua Deng

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00824.x

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      Factors Underlying Contextual Variations in the Structure of the Self: Differences Related to SES, Gender, Culture, and “Majority/Nonmajority” Status During Early Adolescence (pages 69–80)

      Jonathan Bruce Santo, William M. Bukowski, Luz Stella-Lopez, Gina Carmago, Shari B. Mayman and Ryan E. Adams

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00793.x

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      Growing Up at the “Margins”: Concerns, Aspirations, and Expectations of Young People Living in Nairobi's Slums (pages 81–94)

      Caroline W. Kabiru, Sanyu A. Mojola, Donatien Beguy and Chinelo Okigbo

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00797.x

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      Future Discounting by Slum-Dwelling Youth Versus University Students in Rio de Janeiro (pages 95–102)

      Dandara Ramos, Tânia Victor, Maria Lucia Seidl-de-Moura and Martin Daly

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00796.x

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      Stress With Parents and Peers: How Adolescents From Six Nations Cope With Relationship Stress (pages 103–117)

      Inge Seiffge-Krenke, Malte Persike, Neslihan Güney Karaman, Figen Cok, Dora Herrera, Iffat Rohail, Petr Macek and Han Hyeyoun

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00813.x

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      Depressive Symptoms and Somatic Complaints Among Zambian Adolescents: Associations With Stress and Coping (pages 118–127)

      Angela L. Neese, Laura D. Pittman and Rebecca Hunemorder

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00834.x

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      Linking Life Skills and Norms With Adolescent Substance Use and Delinquency in South Africa (pages 128–137)

      Mary H. Lai, John W. Graham, Linda L. Caldwell, Edward A. Smith, Stephanie A. Bradley, Tania Vergnani, Cathy Mathews and Lisa Wegner

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00801.x

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      Adolescent Resilience in Northern Uganda: The Role of Social Support and Prosocial Behavior in Reducing Mental Health Problems (pages 138–148)

      Emily E. Haroz, Laura K. Murray, Paul Bolton, Theresa Betancourt and Judith K. Bass

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00802.x

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      Visual Perspectives on Majority-World Adolescent Thriving (pages 149–161)

      Catherine Ann Cameron, Linda Theron, Sombat Tapanya, Chun Li, Cindy Lau, Linda Liebenberg and Michael Ungar

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00794.x

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      Opening Pathways for Vulnerable Young People in Patagonia (pages 162–170)

      Mary Agnes Hamilton, Stephen F. Hamilton, Lucia Bianchi and Jacqui Bran

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00804.x

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      Building Developmental Assets to Empower Adolescent Girls in Rural Bangladesh: Evaluation of Project Kishoree Kontha (pages 171–184)

      Peter C. Scales, Peter L. Benson, Larry Dershem, Kathleen Fraher, Raphael Makonnen, Shahana Nazneen, Amy K. Syvertsen and Sarah Titus

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00805.x

  2. COMMENTARIES

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      Commentary: Engaging the Majority World in Research on Adolescence (pages 185–186)

      Anne C. Petersen

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/jora.12010

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      Commentary: Leapfrogging as a Principle for Research on Children and Youth in Majority World Settings (pages 187–188)

      Simon Sommer

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00835.x

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      Commentary: Youth Are Critical to Stemming the Worldwide Tide of Chronic Disease (pages 189–190)

      Wendy Baldwin

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/jora.12012

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      Commentary: Explicit Attention to Age and Gender Disparities Is Key to Understanding Adolescent Experiences and Outcomes (pages 191–192)

      Ann K. Blanc and Judith Bruce

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/jora.12011

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      Commentary: Special Issue on Adolescents in the Majority World (pages 193–194)

      Clare A. Ignatowski

      Article first published online: 14 FEB 2013 | DOI: 10.1111/jora.12009

 

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Published Mar. 21, 2013 11:19 AM - Last modified Apr. 17, 2013 3:54 PM
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