Purpose Among Youth From Low‐Income Backgrounds: A Mixed Methods Investigation

• Published in: Child development Vol. 91; no. 6; pp. e1231 - e1248
• Main Authors: Bronk, Kendall Cotton, Mitchell, Caleb, Hite, Brittany, Mehoke, Sam, Cheung, Ryan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Mixed methods research; Youth
• ISSN: 0009-3920; 1467-8624
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13434

Theoretical and empirical research lead to conflicting perspectives on whether youth from low‐income backgrounds are likely to have access to lives of purpose. To explore this issue, this study used data collected during the 2016–2017 academic year from a sample of Southern California youth. Findings suggest (a) youth from low‐income communities are as likely as youth from middle‐income communities to report leading lives of purpose; (b) purpose among low‐income youth is associated with many of the same indicators of positive development as it is among middle‐income youth; and (c) youth from low‐income backgrounds encounter personal hardships that, in the presence of familial support and other developmental assets, can inspire purpose. Implications for purpose‐fostering interventions among low‐income youth are discussed.