Background: The dynamics between risk and promotive factors within ecological contexts of development in emerging adulthood may influence the self-concepts and involvement in problem behaviors of young individuals. Objective: To investigate associations of risk (exposure to domestic and community violence; prejudice) and promotive factors (family, college, and community connectedness) with self-concepts (self-esteem, self-efficacy) and problem behaviors (licit drug use, sex risk behavior, and antisocial behavior). Methods: A total of 547 socioeconomically diverse emerging adults from a Brazilian urban context (64% female) aged 18-29 years filled in the Brazilian Youth Questionnaire (Dell'Aglio et al. 2011) as part of a national investigation developed by the group "Youth and Resilience" of the National Association of Post-Graduation in Psychology. Results: Structural equation modeling analysis indicated that family connectedness was associated with increased self-esteem, and college connectedness with self-esteem and self-efficacy, whereas community connectedness was associated with decreased levels of antisocial behavior. Conclusion: A combination of programs and policies that engage schools, families and communities are the most promising to yield long-term beneficial effects in interventions towards positive development of emerging adults in Brazil.