Preface

This edited volume embodies a commitment to multidisciplinary research in studying young people as they transition into adulthood. Too often scholars take a narrow view in utilizing the tools of only one discipline to inform their study design. Yet, young people are multifaceted, and the social contexts they inhabit warrant approaches from multiple disciplines to piece together a more holistic picture. Multidisciplinary research is about each discipline making a separate contribution to distinct aspects of an issue [1]. Closer connections are needed among disciplines to foster integrated research [2]. A major barrier to greater integration is *methodological imperialism*, a belief that some methods are more deserving or proper than others [3], often manifested through literature reviewing a singular method, such as only data from randomized control trial experiments [4, 5]. Integrating knowledge across disciplines and methodological approaches, this volume instead intersects information about young people across diverse social contexts, countries, ages, ethnicities, and methodologies.

At the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, we define philanthropy as an active effort to promote human welfare and prioritize seven values in fostering a greater understanding of philanthropy [6]. *Curiosity*: Lifelong and deep inquisitiveness about efforts to meaningfully improve societies. *Collaboration*: Welcome, open, and encouraging intellectual pluralism. *Belonging*: Cultivating a deep recognition and affirmation of diverse and representative community members and denouncing racism and oppression of all forms. *Integrity*: Honest, fair, respectful of intrinsic worth, treating others with professional dignity, and conducting accurate research. *Globalism*: Connecting local, national, and international practices and communities. *Stewardship*: Mindful of economic, social, environmental, and personal resource capacities. *Accountability*: Data-informed pursuit of excellence, effectiveness, and equity. In this context, we here in this edited volume situate the study of young people with attention to human welfare and aim for the twenty-three authors included in this volume to foster a spirit of curiosity, collaboration, belonging, integrity, globalism, stewardship, and accountability among a global scholarship attending to young people.

This begins by attending to theory and methods. Chapter 1 is authored by myself, a student, along with Una O. Osili, Chelsea Jacqueline Clark, and Xiaonan Kou. Together we represent disciplinary backgrounds in economics, political psychology, sociology, and social work. In the chapter, we harness the background knowledge of those multiple disciplines to investigate existing studies of generosity. To do so, we draw upon bibliometric techniques and apply these tools toward an integrative review of social science research. We intentionally steer away from methodological imperialism by systematically scoping a set of discipline-specific and interdisciplinary research sources that publish data collected from a wide array of methodologies. Garnering research on social networks and charitable giving, we found that a shared theme among these studies is that charitable giving is contingent upon ties linking individuals within a multidimensional space of interpersonal relationships. Networks are key for recruitment, retention, and participation in voluntary organizations. We highlight the implications of these investigations for engaging, retaining, and linking young people through charitable giving activities.

In Chapter 2, education scholar Huda Kamel Ahmed shares an integrative literature review and conceptual model for understanding ethnic heritage as it relates to the personhood and lived experiences of British Yemeni young people. This chapter draws insights by learning from existing research published in sources such as the *Journal of Applied Youth Studies, Journal of Adolescence, Theory & Psychology, Culture and Psychology, Race & Class, Psychology and the Conduct of Everyday Life, Concrete Human Psychology, Youth & Society*, and the *Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies*. This approach grounds the study of young people within a deeper understanding of the cultural, historical, and social embeddedness of their lived experiences by viewing the person within their social contexts.

The second section of the volume attends to education and work, and this begins with Chapter 3 by business and development scholars Robert Lawrence Afutu-Kotey and Maxwell Yeboah-Mensah. Situated in Ghana, the study investigates young people engaged in the informal economy. Employing a qualitative longitudinal life course biography approach, this analysis finds that young people have difficulties securing employment in the formal economy and informal enterprises are an important means by which many young people transition into adulthood with stable income flows. Yet, the COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to financial flows for young people, and the resulting fluctuations devastated the launching of social enterprises. The uncertainty of the informal economy raises questions regarding the long-term sustainability of these economic resources for young people.

Chapter 4 investigates educational counselors for high school and university students in Denmark. Authors Jeanett Bjønness and Margit Anne Petersen bring their backgrounds in medical science and drug research to bear on understanding the ways people cope with stress in educational contexts. Drawing upon in-depth interviews, this qualitative analysis finds that pressure to perform on social media can detract from receiving social support, resulting in loneliness among young people. In coping with the demands of a performance society, some young people turn to substances and pharmaceuticals with varying degrees of functional and illicit drug use. Performance-enhancing substances are utilized to exist within a culture that expects "being the best version of oneself."

Situated in Iceland, Anna Karlsdóttir in Chapter 5 studies young people from 18 to 30 years old in the Nordic regions of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Employing a mixed-methods design, this chapter presents results from quantitative spatial data along with qualitative interviews and field visits. The results are a mapped distribution of spatial disparities in "Not in Education, Employment, or Training" (NEET) young people. These broad-scale trends are unpacked with interviews with social workers or supervisors who are attempting to re-engage young people in work

and school. The findings are that active strategies to empower, care, and creatively re-engage young people can reduce marginalization and lessen socio-economic disadvantages.

In Chapter 6, Turkish architect Abdurrahman Mohamed presents an ethnographic case study of aesthetics in a university context in Bahrain. Additionally collecting data from college students through a quasi-experimental survey design, the chapter describes what artistic and architectural features young people appreciated in their cafeteria. Analyzing by major, the chapter identifies the differential effect of context for distinct sets of young people. Some young people appreciate artistic elements, while others focus more on the functionality of shared spaces. The chapter contributes implications for how the built environment structures the context of social relations.

The third section of the book includes chapters focused on community engagement and well-being. In Chapter 7, Heather L. Lawford, Heather L. Ramey, Yana Berardini, Christa Romaldi, and Nishad Khanna present findings from a Canadian study of generativity among young people aged 12 to 28 years old. Generativity is an expression of care for the welfare and legacy of future generations. Utilizing surveys with hundreds of young people sampled from communities, the analysis reveals the importance of adult allies in fostering youth engagement and developing capacity for generativity.

In Chapter 8, Anișoara Pavelea and Lorina Culic infuse their backgrounds in social psychology, political, administrative, and communication sciences to study youth between 18 and 24 years old. They investigate the relationship between religiosity, spirituality, and wellbeing in Romanian emerging adults. Presence of meaning and satisfaction with life partially mediate this relationship, indicating that participating in religious and spiritual activities helps young people define their identity, with significance, which in turn fosters greater mental health. The authors theorize that religion can provide well-being benefits through its insistence on forgiveness and making peace with the past and that through embracing flaws young people can find a way to integrate a coherent life story.

Founded on a psychological approach, Ingunn Hagen in Chapter 9 studies how stress in adolescence and young adulthood can be coped with by practicing yoga. Among young people aged 12 to 29 years old in Norway, yoga is a self-developmental activity that provides a sanctuary from societal demands. In turn, this coping strategy appears to have mental health and wellbeing benefits. Fostering a pleasant mental state helped young people know who they are and authentically engage in an autonomous sense of self amid competing demands that could otherwise diminish their inner strength.

In Chapter 10, applied scientists and psychologists Marleen Haandrikman, Annemiek Fokkens, Miriam Oostinga, and Nicolette van Veldhoven investigate athletes in the Netherlands. Developing a biopsychosocial profile of sports culture, the chapter shows how potential risk factors from experiencing sexual violence and performance expectations can be lessened through fostering resilience. As a protective asset, empowerment and self-efficacy can be powerful social norms for supporting young athletes and reducing vulnerabilities. Engaging a youth sports compass is found to be an effective intervention in strengthening social support within the sports community.

In summary, this volume presents multidisciplinary studies of young people as they transition from youth to adulthood. The volume showcases diverse methods, social contexts, and countries.

> **Patricia Snell Herzog, Ph.D.** Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

#### **References**

[1] National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research. Washington, DC, USA: The National Academies Press; 2005

[2] Jacobs JA. In Defense of Disciplines: Interdisciplinarity and Specialization in the Research University. Chicago. London: University of Chicago Press; 2014

[3] Bhaskar R, Danermark B, Price L. Understanding methodological imperialism. In: Interdisciplinarity and Wellbeing. UK: Routledge; 2017

[4] Page MJ, Moher D, Bossuyt PM, Boutron I, Hoffmann TC, Mulrow CD, et al. PRISMA 2020 explanation and elaboration: Updated guidance and exemplars for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ. 29 March 2021;**372**:n160

[5] Thomas J, McDonald S, Noel-Storr A, Shemilt I, Elliott J, Mavergames C, et al. Machine learning reduced workload with minimal risk of missing studies: Development and evaluation of a randomized controlled trial classifier for Cochrane Reviews. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. May 2021;**133**:140-151

[6] Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Retrieved from: https:// philanthropy.iupui.edu

Section 1
