Adolescence and Early Adulthood Flashcards
Define Adolescence?
Phase between childhood and adulthood
- Pubertal development may be start of adolescence
Adulthood: Legally culturally variable. There’s a very broad concept of adolescence.
UN: children < 18 years
What are the 4 main areas of change in adolescence
Cognitive/emotional change
Family
Peers
Biology
Define adrenarhe
Rise in adrenal 19-carbon steroid productions, DHEA and DHEA sulfate.
Manifests clinically as the appearance of axillary and pubic hair, usually about age 8. They become more aggressive
The role of this is uncertain? Precrusor to puberty
Starts:
- Females: 6-9 years
- Males: 7-10 years
Summarise the endocrinology of puberty
See slide/diagram
Define menarche?
The first occurrence of menstruation. First period
Describe the growth patterns of girls and boys in puberty
See diagram
- Girls have an early growth spurt in puberty.
- Boy will grow up to 10cm in a year at its peak. Boys have a later growth spurt in puberty.
What are the pubertal changes in girls and boys
Girls: Growth spurt is early. When you see menarche they are nearly biologically mature
- Breast budding
- Growth of pubic hair
- Growth spurt
- Menarche
- Growth of underarm hair
- Change in body shape
- Adult breast size
Boys:
- Growth of scrotum and testis
- Change in voice
- Lengthening of penis
- Growth of pubic hair
- Growth spurt
- Change in body shape
- Growth of facial and underarm hair
The three stages of puberty are classified as:
1) Axillary hair (armpit)
2) Pubic hair
3) Change in breast/penis/gonad size
Describe the changes in puberty
Better nutrition = leptin
menarchy period look this up. Leptin affects periods
Describe the psychological changes in adolescence?
Cognition - ability to think. There is change meaning people can think objectively e.g morality
Identity - who am I? and how am I different? Slow developmental process
Increased self-awareness - slow developmental process
Affect expression and regulation - Not knowing about how to express your feelings e.g alexythymia
Describe the social changes in adolescence?
Family - parental surveillance, confiding
Peers
- Increased importance
- More complex and hierarchical (e.g some friends are closer)
- More sensitive to acceptance and rejection
- Romantic relationships
Social role - education, occupation, etc (what am I going to become?)
What are some wider social influences?
School
Work
Culture (teen subculture)
Social influences - unemployment poverty, housing neighbourhood effects)
Describe how the cortex changes with age?
With increasing age from 7 to 13 there is an increase in cortical thickness.
There is a peak age in cortical thickness before it starts to narrow down again. Synaptic pruning occurs - a lot of skills increases before the brain works out what is need. It starts to get rid of things that are not required.
What is the developmental mismatch hypothesis?
Grey and white dopanimergic pathways change increase vulnerability to risk take.
There is a miss match between cognitive function. This is time when mental health problems start.
Define anorexia nervosa
Low body weight - body weight at least 15% lower than expected
Avoidance of fattening foods
Psychopathology morbid dread of fatness, aims for lower weight than premorbid or healthy.
Endocrine disturbance may also be other weight loss behaviours
Persistent behaviour that interferes with weight gain.
Persistent restriction of eneDesrgy intake leading to significant lower body weight in context of what is minimally expected .
Describe the aetiology of anorexia nervosa?
See slides
