About this Research Topic

Background

Core contributors to the current Research Topic: “Youth, Health and Development in Diverse Cultures and Contexts” will be research partners of the Cross-National Project on Positive Youth Development (CN-PYD), who represent an international and multidisciplinary panel of experts on youth development. CN-PYD was initiated in 2014 at the University of Bergen and has an ongoing data collection that involves over 15,000 minority and majority youth and emerging adults (ages 16 to 29) living in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East, New Zealand, North and South America. In contrast to the deficit approach that has labelled and handled the period of adolescence as being inherently laden with problems and risks (Lerner et al., 2016), CN-PYD uses a strengths-based approach to the conceptualization of youth as resources and agentic. The goal of the cross-national project is to investigate the role of personal strengths and contextual resources in the promotion of health and development among youth and emerging adults, as well as the consequential contribution to self and society. The promotive and protective effects of personal strengths, contextual resources, as well as the alignment of these two sets of factors are also considered in CN-PYD. In so doing, the cross-national project adopts a more comprehensive perspective, embracing both negative and positive developmental processes in the study of youth development.

For the proposed Research Topic, our aim is to bring together a collection of studies that examine personal resources related to competencies, skills, and self-perception as well as environmental, contextual, and relational features of the social contexts of youth and emerging adults on health and development. With contributions from CN-PYD research partners and no-partners, we seek to present the direct and indirect effects of these personal and contextual factors using samples that reflect diverse cultures and contexts. In particular, we take a positive and protective approach in the study of our target populations, thus departing from the domineering deficit focus on youth, while presenting a novel collection of studies on youth and emerging adults.

In the study of health and development among diverse youth and emerging adults, we use an ecological theoretical approach as well as PYD frameworks, such as Geldhof and colleagues’ 5Cs of PYD and the Search Institute’s Developmental Asset Profile. Ecologically, we assess the contexts of the individual, peers, family, school, community, and culture. The 5Cs of PYD reflect five positive outcomes of Competence (academic, social, vocational skills), Confidence (sense of mastery, positive identity, self-worth), Character (integrity, moral commitment, personal values), Connection (healthy relation to community, friends, family, school) and Caring (empathy and sympathy). Developmental assets indicate personal strengths and contextual resources that can determine young people’s health and development.

With contributions from the different countries represented in CN-PYD, our collection will reflect studies based on samples coming from diverse cultures and contexts where very little or no research using positive approach or PYD frameworks, for example have been carried out. Contributions from CN-PYD research partners will extend contributions to previous Research Topic on “Positive Youth Development, Mental Health, and Psychological Well-Being in Diverse Youth” with Frontiers. Moreover, contributions from authors outside CN-PYD research group will further enhance the diversity of the Research Topic. While much of the research on health and development among youth and emerging adults have come from the U.S. and other western countries, contributions from our contexts that have rarely featured in research will provide new insights into the health and developmental processes of the majority youth population. The collection in the proposed Research Topic will indeed represent a significant step towards the study of diversity in youth health and development as well as determining factors.

Keywords: Health, Development, youth and emerging adults, cultures and contexts, diversity

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Frequently asked questions

• What is a Research Topic?

  Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

  Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

• Why does Frontiers publish Research Topics? 

  The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

  Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

• Why are Research Topics important for journals?

  As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

  A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

• How do we ensure the quality of articles within Research Topics?

  Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

  In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

• What are the benefits of publishing my article in a Research Topic?

  Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

  As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

  Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

   
• What types of articles can be published in a Research Topic?

  Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

  Check available article types here 

• Can I suggest a new Research Topic? 

  Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

  Suggest your topic here 

• Who leads a Research Topic? 

  A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

  The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

• What is the role of a topic editor?

  As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

   

  You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

• What support will I receive when editing a new Research Topic? 

  As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

• As a junior researcher, can I be involved in editing a Research Topic? 

  If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

• Can I get a certificate for editing a Research Topic?

  Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

• Who will I collaborate with?

  Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

• How long does it take to publish a Research Topic?

  As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

  Find out more about our Research Topics

• What fee support is available to authors publishing in a Research Topic?

  Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

  Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

• Will there be a printed version of my Research Topic?

  In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.