Coping and adaptation in challenging environments: Introduction to the special issue on development of boys and young men of color

Abstract

The current article presents an introduction to the special issue on the development of boys and young men of color in challenging environments. The articles in this special issue, collectively, highlight how boys and young men of color successfully adapt to adverse environments, and in particular, how the unique demands of various inhibiting contexts may shape adaptive behaviors. By exploring conditional adaptation and/or developmental assets as highlighted in Gaylord-Harden, Barbarin, Tolan, and Murry (2018), these studies present exciting new findings of research on boys and young men of color. The purpose of this introduction is to present an overview of how conditional adaptation and positive youth development offer frameworks to understand processes of successful adaptation to adversity among boys and young men of color and to summarize the papers included in this special issue. Through a diversity of theoretical frameworks, methodological approaches, and developmental lenses, the articles in this issue provide a basis for a more comprehensive understanding of the lived experiences of boys and young men of color and underscore the need for contextually- and culturally-relevant solutions to advance opportunities for healthy functioning and positive development.