Important concepts and areas of research for youth
A considerable proportion of U.S. research dedicated to youth focuses on young people as “a problem to be contained versus as a resource to be grown.” That is, most funding for research is directed toward “problem behaviors,” such as drug use, delinquency, and mental health, including depression and suicide. Considering youth as a resource, positive youth development has gained attention since the 1990s as a counterforce to the conception of young people as a problem to be contained.
