Adolescence (16-18) Flashcards
Physical Changes
- frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex (area that controls logic and planning) are developing
Adolescence identity formation has 2 parts:
- Crisis
- Commitment
What is Identity Achievement
- when a person has been through a crisis and has reached a commitment to ideological, occupational, and other goals
Why do adolescents take more risks?
-their limbic system has developed
- which is involved in emotion and reward processing
- makes them hypersensitive to the rewarding feeling of risk-taking
- adolescence are primed to take risks bec they are hypersensitive to the rewards that come with risks
Function of Prefrontal Cortex
- involved in planning, decision-making, inhibiting inappropriate behaviours, understanding other people, and self-awareness
Males VS. Females Skeletal System
Females
- % fat rises and % muscle decreases
(body is preparing for pregnancy)
- attain most of their height by 16 years
Males
- % fat falls and % muscle rises
- grow until 18-20 years
- cephalocaudal /proximodistal patterns are reversed so hands
and feet grow first and the trunk is usually the slowest part to
grow
Heart and Lungs
- increase in size and heart rate drops
- increase in capacity for sustained physical effort
- both changes are more marked in males than females
Why are females more likely than males to have sex without a condom?
- The decision for females hinges on
1) Relationship potential -they think it will last so its fine
2) Partners responsibility - they believe it is up to their partner
Sexual Behaviour
- inability to be assertive with a partner may lower condom use
- rates of STI continue to increase in youth aged 15-19 (chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis)
- STI infection rates are
among the highest in 15-19 year old females (who have an infection rate of 4X higher than
males)
Teen Pregnancy
- rate has declined in Canada since 1974
- teen pregnancy is more frequent among
older adolescents - most likely to happen
after a female leaves secondary school - more than 1/2 of all pregnancies by 15-
19 year olds are terminated by
abortion
Teen pregnancy occurs mostly if:
- sexual activity started at an early age
- in females from low SES single-parent families
- the females
mother had an early pregnancy - the female is
rejected by her peers
Higher rates of social exclusion in sexual minorities
- Due to less resources for support; resources are usually designed for cisgender and not tailored to them
Why is alcohol use a more serious consequence for adolescents?
- 16-19 year olds youth have the 3rd highest rate of impaired driving
changes of any age group in Canada - Their ability to be mindful of the risk is not fully developed
- this is also due to the invincibility complex
What is the 2nd leading cause of death for Canadian young people age 15-19?
Suicide
Who experiences higher rates of suicide?
- completed suicide is 3x higher for
adolescent boys than girls in Canada
What is the relationship bw COVID and depression/suicide?
- Depression rates have increased due to COVID
- Presence of the pandemic along with lack of social connections resulted in increased depression
3 Factors that Contribute to Suicide
1) Triggering Stressful Event
- a disciplinary crisis with the parents or some rejection or
humiliation
2) Altered Mental State
- state might be a sense of hopelessness, reduced inhibitions from alcohol consumption
3) An opportunity
ex. loaded gun, bottle of sleeping pills
What is the problem SSRI’s and SNRI’s?
- anti-depression drugs that were used in children/teens until studies linked them with increased suicidal ideation, attempts, and risk of suicide and hostile aggression in young populations
Suicide in First Nations Populations
- there is a higher suicide rate in this population (than for the rest) due to colonialism, residential schools
- suicide is the leading cause of death for FN/I/M children
- When we accept subpar health outcomes, we create a hierarchy of value
Where first nations children have lower value than other children - which further perpetuates violence against them
Information Processing
- grade 8 students focus on the here and
now while grade 12 students are more likely to consider things that might happen in the future - the ability to summarize text
improves gradually but dramatically during
the latter half of adolescence
Females and Males VS. School Subjects
- females perform better in reading,
- males in math
- no significant difference in science
3 Predictors of Leaving School Early
1) History of academic failure
2) Pattern of aggressive behaviour
3) Poor decisions about risky behaviour
- The priority is to make money; they have to prioritize basic needs with education becoming a higher level need that does not get fulfilled
How work influences teens?
- positive work experiences develop increased feelings of
competence and efficacy - working a lot (> 15-20 hours/week) is detrimental to
grades and increases stress levels - feel constant pressure to achieve more than they can
handle
3 Theories of Identity Achievement
1) Moratorium
- the identity status of a
person who is in a crisis but who has made no
commitment
2) Foreclosure
- the identity status of a
person who has made a commitment without
having gone through a
crisis (accepted
parentally or culturally
defined commitment)
3) Identity Diffusion
- the identity status of a
person who is not in the midst of a crisis and who has made no commitment
Self Concept
- physical traits become less dominant in
late adolescence
- most think of themselves in terms of enduring traits, beliefs, personal philosophy and moral
standards
Weakness of Kohlberg Moral Reasoning?
- doesn’t fit non western cultures
- focuses too much on justice
- undermines the importance of empathy
- overlooks the importance of caring
- reasoning changes depending on the
situation
Influence of Peers in Adolescence
- by late adolescence, social groups become mixed in
gender (composed of groups of dating couples) - mutual friendships and dating pairs become more common
to social interactions in later adolescence than cliques/crowds - most teens show a gradual progression from same-sex friendships to
heterosexual relationships - the progression toward romantic relationship happens faster for girls
- skills gained in relating to opposite-sex peers and mixed-gender groups prepare
teens for heterosexual romantic relationships - social competence in relationships predicts the ease of the progression to romantic relationships
