Adolescence (16-18)

Question 1

Physical Changes

Answer 1

• frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex (area that controls logic and planning) are developing

Question 2

Adolescence identity formation has 2 parts:

Answer 2

1. Crisis
2. Commitment

Question 3

What is Identity Achievement

Answer 3

• when a person has been through a crisis and has reached a commitment to ideological, occupational, and other goals

Question 4

Why do adolescents take more risks?

Answer 4

-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

Question 5

Function of Prefrontal Cortex

Answer 5

• involved in planning, decision-making, inhibiting inappropriate behaviours, understanding other people, and self-awareness

Question 6

Males VS. Females Skeletal System

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Heart and Lungs

Answer 7

• increase in size and heart rate drops
• increase in capacity for sustained physical effort
• both changes are more marked in males than females

Question 8

Why are females more likely than males to have sex without a condom?

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

Sexual Behaviour

Answer 9

• 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)

Question 10

Teen Pregnancy

Answer 10

• 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

Question 10

Teen pregnancy occurs mostly if:

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

Higher rates of social exclusion in sexual minorities

Answer 11

• Due to less resources for support; resources are usually designed for cisgender and not tailored to them

Question 12

Why is alcohol use a more serious consequence for adolescents?

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

What is the 2nd leading cause of death for Canadian young people age 15-19?

Answer 13

Suicide

Question 14

Who experiences higher rates of suicide?

Answer 14

• completed suicide is 3x higher for
  adolescent boys than girls in Canada

Question 15

What is the relationship bw COVID and depression/suicide?

Answer 15

• Depression rates have increased due to COVID
• Presence of the pandemic along with lack of social connections resulted in increased depression

Question 16

3 Factors that Contribute to Suicide

Answer 16

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

Question 17

What is the problem SSRI’s and SNRI’s?

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

Suicide in First Nations Populations

Answer 18

• 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

Question 19

Information Processing

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

Females and Males VS. School Subjects

Answer 20

• females perform better in reading,
• males in math
• no significant difference in science

Question 21

3 Predictors of Leaving School Early

Answer 21

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

Question 22

How work influences teens?

Answer 22

• 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

Question 23

3 Theories of Identity Achievement

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Self Concept

Answer 24

• physical traits become less dominant in
  late adolescence
  - most think of themselves in terms of enduring traits, beliefs, personal philosophy and moral
  standards

Question 25

Weakness of Kohlberg Moral Reasoning?

Answer 25

• 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

Question 26

Influence of Peers in Adolescence

Answer 26

• 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