DEV2004 Chapter 6 Adolescence

Overview of Adolescence

• Adolescence lasts from ages 10 to 18, marked by puberty and transition to adulthood.
• Hormonal changes during puberty foster physical and cognitive development.
• Brain development contributes to increased risk-taking behaviors and improved abstract thinking.
• Adolescents redefine relationships with parents, gaining more autonomy while navigating peer influences.
• Identity formation involves exploration of various roles and ideological positions.

Growth Patterns

• Puberty typically starts between ages 8 and 14; girls generally begin around age 10, boys two years later.
• Physical growth spurt adds 10-11 inches in height and 50-75 pounds in weight; follows a specific sequence of growth in hands, arms, and torso.
• Gender differences in height and weight emerge; girls are taller until age 14, after which boys tend to surpass in both height and weight.
• Socially preferable body images often favor shorter women and taller men, leading to weight-related concerns among teens.

Sexual Development

• Sexual maturation includes primary characteristics: male testes and sperm production; female ovaries and menstrual cycles.
• Primary sexual characteristics develop between ages 11 to 15, impacting fertility.
• Secondary sexual characteristics emerge, including broader shoulders for boys and breast development for girls.

Acne and Pubertal Changes

• Acne affects approximately 85% of adolescents, exacerbated by hormonal fluctuations.
• The age of puberty has shifted earlier, with girls starting menarche around age 13, compared to age 16 a century ago.
• Early maturation in girls is linked with various mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression.

Brain Development

• The adolescent brain matures with increased neural connections and specialized areas, although overall size remains constant.
• Myelination enhances processing speed but decreases neurological plasticity.
• The limbic system drives emotional responses and social interactions, while the prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making, continues to develop until the mid-20s.

Decision-Making and Risks

• Adolescents take more risks due to heightened dopamine sensitivity, which enhances the response to social rewards.
• Peer presence influences risky behaviors such as unsafe driving and substance use.
• Mental illness onset occurs predominantly by age 14; repeated drug exposure can alter brain function.

Sleep Patterns and Risks

• Adolescents require 8 to 10 hours of sleep, but many average only 7.5 hours due to societal demands and biological changes.
• Sleep deprivation contributes to issues like irritability, poor academic performance, and risky behaviors.
• Circadian shifts lead to later sleep times; most schools start before 8:30 AM, exacerbating sleep-related problems.

Sexual Activity and Trends

• Increased sexual attraction typically begins by age 10 or 11; over half of high school students report having experienced sexual intercourse.
• Adolescent pregnancy rates have declined significantly since the early 1990s, with a notable drop of 58% between 2007 and 2018.### Adolescent Sexual Activity and Pregnancy Risk
• Recent trends indicate adolescents are less sexually active compared to previous years, with an increased use of birth control among sexually active individuals.
• Factors reducing risk of adolescent pregnancy include close parent-child relationships, parental supervision, and strong parental values against unprotected intercourse.
• Increased risk factors for adolescent pregnancy comprise disorganized neighborhoods, low socioeconomic status (SES), single-parent households, older sexually active siblings, early puberty, and history of sexual abuse.

Consequences of Adolescent Pregnancy

• Only 40% of teenagers who give birth before 18 graduate from high school, impacting job prospects and economic independence.
• Teenage mothers are often more likely to experience poverty, with over 75% relying on public assistance within five years of childbirth.
• Approximately 64% of children born to unmarried teenage high school dropouts live in poverty.
• Children of teenage mothers face a 50% higher likelihood of repeating grades, are more likely to underperform on standardized tests, and have an increased risk of high school dropout.

Parenting and Education Trends

• Among fathers aged 22 to 44, 70% with less than a high school diploma fathered a child before 25, while only 14% of those with a bachelor’s degree did so.
• Women with higher education levels generally have children at older ages.

Eating Disorders Overview

• Eating disorders predominantly manifest during adolescence and young adulthood, affecting both genders but with higher prevalence among women.
• Men can also experience distorted body image disorders, such as muscle dysmorphia.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Eating Disorders

• Eating disorders affect various racial and ethnic groups similarly, though anorexia nervosa is more common among Non-Hispanic Whites.
• Genetic, biological, psychological, and social factors contribute to the development of eating disorders, often running in families.
• Research identifies overlapping genetic factors for anorexia with traits related to metabolism and physical activity.

Types of Eating Disorders

• Anorexia Nervosa: Characterized by self-imposed starvation, intense fear of weight gain, and distorted self-evaluation regarding body weight.
• Bulimia Nervosa: Involves recurrent binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors like purging or excessive exercise, with significant self-evaluation influenced by body shape.
• Binge-Eating Disorder: Recurrent binge eating marked by distress, without inappropriate compensatory measures.

Health Consequences of Eating Disorders

• Anorexia leads to severe health issues, including heart problems, osteoporosis, muscle loss, dehydration, fatigue, and has the highest mortality rate among psychiatric disorders.
• Bulimia can result in digestive issues and serious health complications, including esophageal damage and tooth decay due to frequent vomiting.
• Binge eating disorder is associated with obesity-related health risks, including heart disease and Type II diabetes.

Treatment for Eating Disorders

• Effective treatment requires nutritional stabilization and cessation of harmful behaviors, tailored to individual needs.
• Treatments may include medical support, nutritional counseling, medication (like antidepressants), and psychotherapy (individual, group, family).
• The Maudsley Approach emphasizes family involvement in recovery efforts.

Cognitive Development: Piaget’s Formal Operational Stage

• In the formal operational stage, adolescents can contemplate abstract concepts like beauty, love, and morality.
• Shift from trial-and-error problem solving to hypothetical-deductive reasoning facilitates systematic testing of possibilities.
• Adolescents are capable of engaging in genuine scientific thinking and accepting hypothetical scenarios.