Exposure to developmental risks in three domains (community, economic,
and family), and relations between risks and psychosocial well-being, were
examined among 918 impoverished Brazilian youth aged 14–19
(M = 15.8 years, 51.9% female) recruited in low-income
neighborhoods in one city in Southern Brazil. High levels of developmental
risks were reported, with levels and types of risks varying by gender,
age, and (to a lesser extent) race. Associations between levels of risks
in the various domains and indicators of psychological (e.g., self-esteem,
negative emotionality) and behavioral (e.g., substance use) adjustment
differed for male and female respondents. Findings build on prior research
investigating the development of young people in conditions of pervasive
urban poverty and reinforce the value of international research in this
endeavor.This study was funded by grants
from the World Bank and CNPq to Silvia H. Koller. Manuscript preparation
was partially supported by a Faculty Development Fellowship to Marcela
Raffaelli from the College of Arts and Sciences, University of
Nebraska–Lincoln, and by a Visiting Fellowship at the Key Centre for
Women's Health in Society, School of Population Health at the
University of Melbourne. The authors acknowledge the assistance of
J'aims Ribeiro in developing the questionnaire.