Adolescence

• During puberty, hypothalamus releases elevated levels of gonadotropin (GnRH)
• Increased release of (GnRH) triggers rise in luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
• Increased levels of (FSH) are for girls that leads to onset of menstruation
• Increased levels of (LH) for boys initiates release of testosterone and androstenedione.
• Primary Sex Characteristics- Organs directly RELATED TO REPRODUCTION, which enlarge and mature during adolescence
• Secondary Sex Characteristics- PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGN of maturation that DO NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVE SEX ORGANS
• Adolescent Growth Spurt- a rapid increase in height, weight, and muscle and bone growth that occurs during puberty
• Environmental Influence on pubertal timing

  • Undernutrition: delays onset of puberty and reduce puberty growth spurt
  • Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals: plastics, flame retardants, and pesticides
  • High levels of Physical Activity delays puberty
  • girls, reaching a critical amount of body fat is necessary for reproduction
• Implications of EARLY PUBERTY:

  • Predictive of adult obesity
  • girls are at increased risk of poor psychological outcomes
  • Vulnerability to risky behavior and the influence of deviant peers
  • As adults, women are more likely to have polycystic ovarian syndrome
  • For boys: substance use, delinquent behavior, conduct and behavioral problems
• American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adolescents ages 13 to 18 should regularly sleep a minimum of 8 to 10 hours per 24-hour period
• Body image- one’s perception, thoughts, and feelings about one’s body
• Boys body image:

  • More satisfied with their bodies than girls
  • Only express dissatisfaction when overweight and underweight.
  • More satisfied if maintain average weight
• Girls body image:

  • Unhappy with appearance
  • Highest level of body SATISFACTION when underweight
  • Some dissatisfaction when average weight and MOST DISSATISFACTION when overweight
• Who is at elevated risk of having eating disorders?

  • BIPOC teens, teens from lower socio economic status
  • Sexual minorities: gay, lesbian and bisexual young adult
  • transgender teens are at higher risk for eating disorders than cisgender teens
• Substance Abuse- repeated, harmful use of alcohol and or other drugs
• Substance Dependence- caused by substance abuse, Addiction (physical, psychological, or both) to a harmful substance.
• The earlier young people start to use a drug, the more frequently they are likely to use it and the greater their tendency to abuse it
• What influences alcohol consumption among teens?

  • Culture (ex. Alcohol consumption is common in europe)
  • Reason for alcohol consumption
  • Teens high in individualism drink for positive reinforcement motives
  • Economic wealth of country
  • Gender (altho differences become smaller)
• Binge Drinking- consuming five or more drinks on one occasion—puts teens at particularly high risk
• Alcohol consumption may cause structural brain changes in adolescents:

  • Primarily changes in areas of the brain that are involved in executive control (prefrontal area) and reward mechanisms
  • These changes contributes to deficits in verbal learning, attention, and visuospatial task performance that may persist through adulthood
• What are the factors that may increase the likelihood of tobacco use among teens?

  • Influence of older siblings and friends
  • Closer friends have strongest influence than more distant friends
  • Influence of friends is greater in COLLECTIVISTIC cultures
  • Peer and sibling can influence via media or social media post and messaging
  • Influence of parents who also smoke
  • Teen environment
  • Poorer neighborhood
  • High density of tobacco retailers near teen school and home
  • Presence of substance use in the media
• ACROSS THE WORLD, depression is a LEADING cause of death and disability in teens
• Girls than boys are more likely to have depression and this gender differences increases as children move through adolescence
• Youth who experience bouts of depression in childhood or adolescence are at risk for the development of bipolar disorder
• The MOST EFFECTIVE treatment of depression for adolescents for short term is combined medication and CBT
• Suicide is the THIRD leading cause of death in 15-19 years old GLOBALLY
• Gender Differences in suicide

  • Adolescent girls are more likely to attempt but use less lethal methods (suffocation, poisoning) and more likely to survive
  • Boys are less likely to attempt but uses firearms and a higher chance of successful attempt
• What are the protective factors against suicide?

  sense of connectedness to family and school, emotional well-being, and academic achievement