Adolescent Health Flashcards

1
Q

What is adolescence?

A
  • Specific, unique developmental stage
  • Occurs between 11-25 years
  • Period of rapid and significant developments & challenges including social, emotional and physical (brain)
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2
Q

What social development do adolescents undergo?

A
  • Establishing independence: shift in focus from parents to peers
  • Developing self-identity
  • Starting to develop sexual identity
  • Characterised by various transitions and changes in social circumstances
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3
Q

What emotional development do adolescents undergo?

A
  • Growing ability to regulate emotions
  • Emotional outbursts can be triggered by barriers to development
  • Increase in connections between amygdala and other brain areas
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4
Q

What changes with mental health are associated with adolescence?

A
  • 10-20% will experience mental health disorders

- Most develop late childhood

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5
Q

What brain development do adolescents undergo?

A
  • Brain development during adolescence helps to explain many of the behaviours common during this period (including health-related behaviours)
  • Brain continues to develop into 20’s
  • Area of most radical change is prefrontal cortex
  • Understanding brain development and associated strengths/ limitations can enhance the care we provide to young people
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6
Q

What characteristics are associated with the prefrontal cortex of an early adolescent?

A
  • Here and now focus
  • Bullet proof mind-set
  • Risk taking
  • Winging it
  • Impulsivity
  • Difficulty controlling emotions
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7
Q

What impact does adolescence have on health?

A
  • Increased mortality
  • Highest graft failure rates
  • Deterioration of HbA1c in diabetes
  • Consistent across medical conditions
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8
Q

Why is chronic disease control worse in adolescents?

A
  • Different priorities
  • Different thought processes/ability to process long term outcomes
  • Both chronic disease and adolescence are emotional journeys with a need to restructure identity
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9
Q

How should an adolescent consultation be set up?

A
  • Offer to see adolescent patients in their own
  • Introductions (may wish to use first name)
  • Identify their agenda
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10
Q

How should you adapt the communication style for an adolescent consultation?

A
  • Aim for a conversation, rather than an interrogation
  • Open questions are usually less successful
  • Avoid medical jargon
  • Explore their priorities and concerns
  • Discuss adherence to treatment
  • Explore their understanding of their disease and treatments
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11
Q

What structure can be used to take an adolescent social history?

A

HEADSS

  • Home
  • Education/employment
  • Activities
  • Drugs/alcohol
  • Sexuality
  • Suicide/self-harm
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12
Q

What should you ask about regarding home?

A
  • Where do you live?
  • Who lives with you?
  • How do you get on with the people you live with?
  • Who would you talk to if you had a problem?
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13
Q

What should you ask about regarding education (employment)?

A
  • Which school do you go to?
  • What year are you in?
  • Which subjects do you enjoy?
  • What are you good at?
  • Who do you spend time with at school?
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14
Q

What should you ask about regarding activities?

A
  • What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
  • Are you in any clubs or teams?
  • Who do you meet up with at weekends?
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15
Q

What should you ask about regarding drugs?

A
  • Do any of your friends smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol?
  • How about you?
  • Have you ever tried cannabis?
  • How much do you smoke/drink?
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16
Q

What should you ask about regarding sexuality?

A
  • Do any of your friends have boyfriends/girlfriends?
  • How about you?
  • Have you ever had sex?
  • Do you use condoms/the pill?
17
Q

What should you ask about regarding suicide and self-harm?

A
  • How would you describe your mood?
  • Do you ever get really down?
  • Some people who feel really down often feel like hurting themselves or even killing themselves.
  • Have you ever felt like that?
18
Q

How can transition from child to adult services be improved?

A
  • Treat transition as a process rather than an event
  • Begin process early (11-12 years)
  • Ensure good understanding of condition and medications
  • Initial joint appointments with adult and paediatric teams
  • Use checklists/toolkits to improve