While this line of inquiry is relevant for all youth, the exploration of contextually-informed development may be especially important for multiply marginalized youth. In addition to inquiries exploring broader cross-national or cultural differences in adolescent development, studies may focus on understanding the risks inherent to narrower contexts, such as increased risk for drug use among inner city youth ( Lerner & Galambos, 1998 Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000 Aneshensel & Sucoff, 1996) or studies focusing upon identifying endogenous or implemented contexts that might foster adaptive development, such as programs fostering healthy parental behaviours in the home or broader safety in schools and communities ( Larson, 2000 Youngblade et al.
While often varying by global region, nation, or culture, adolescence is universally a period of significant physical, cognitive, and social change, with increasing research attention paid to understanding how varying contexts may influence individual development ( Smetana, Campione-Barr, & Metzger, 2006 Steinberg & Morris, 2001).
