Adolescent Development II Flashcards
What are the phases of adolescence?
10-13 early
14-18 Middle
19-24 LATE
Define puberty
A period of rapid physical growth and sexual maturation
What is the onset of puberty called?
Menarche and Spermarche
What is menarche?
The term for a cis girl’s first period. It signals that ovulation has begun
Define spermache
The term for cis boy’s first ejaculation, which signals sperm production has begun
What does age of onset of puberty depend on?
Sex - girls ahead of boys by months or years
Genes and ethnicity
Weight - malnutrition delays puberty, obesity the reverse
Stress - causes puberty earlier
What do hormones contribute to?
Conflict, moodiness and sexual urges of adolescents, but aren’t the only cause.
What is another cause of the conflict, moodiness, and sexual urges of adolescents?
Social and cultural reactions to visible body changes also play a large role
What are other physical changes that occur during puberty?
Skin gets oilier, sweatier and more acne-prone
The lymphoid system - tonsils, adenoids - decrease in size, making teens less susceptible to cold
What are the gonads?
Testis and ovary
What are the secondary sex organs?
Seminal vesicles, fallopian tube
What are the levels of sex hormones in children?
Very low levels of testosterone (T) for boys and oestrogen (E) for women
What are the two other hormones involved in gonadal function in children?
GnRH - hypothalamus - low levels
FSH/LH - anterior pituitary - low levels
What is the trigger for puberty in both boys and girls?
The production of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus. It is the brain that stimulates puberty.
How does GnRH lead to the stimulation of puberty?
GnRH stimulates the pituitary gland which releases a luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone FSH –> these two hormones signal the female and male sex organ (ie the gonads) to release sex-dependent hormones.
What are the primary sex characteristics?
The parts of the body directly involved in reproduction (e.g testicles, ovaries, penis, vagina)
What are the secondary sex characteristics?
Not necessary for reproduction - odour, acne, breast development, hair, voice changes
Describe maturity of the reproductive function.
Maturation of the reproductive function is only one of many physiological changes that occur at adolescence. Immaturity is not at the level of the gonads or the anterior pituitary, but at the level of the brain –> primarily limbic structures and hypothalamus
How do we know that the limbic-hypothalamic system is responsible for the immaturity of the reproductive system before puberty?
1) immature gonads transplanted into an adult animal will mature immediately and demonstrate a normal reproductive function
2) the pituitary, taken from a prepubescent animal and transplanted into an adult animal will regulate normal reproductive function
3) alterations/lesions/trauma of the hypothalamus and specific areas in the limbic system (amygdala, hippocampus) will prevent the prepubertal animal to develop a normal reproductive function
Why is reproductive function so late to mature?
Describe immaturity
Immaturity is at the level of the hypothalamus and at the level of the limbic-hypothalamic pathways, not the anterior pituitary and the gonads
When do many mental disorders begin?
Adolescence and early adulthood
What did Kessler et al 2005 find about mental health in adolescents?
Found that half of all lifetime cases started by the age of 14 years and three quarter of cases by the age of 24 years.
Describe the onset ages for anxiety disorder, behaviour disorder, mood disorder and substance use disorder.
Anxiety - 6 years
Behaviour - 11 years
Mood - 13 years
SUDs - 15
LOOK AT SEXUAL DIMPORHISM GRAPH
