Adolescent Health Flashcards
Part 1
You will look after Adolescent patients - how commonly?
What hospital department are adolescents admitted to?
many
__________ Mortality in Adolescents
Increased
Often think of this as a healthy age group
Something different about adolescents that means the risk of dying is higher than it is in children despite thinking of them as a healthy age group
what are the causes of mortality in adolescents?
Things more due to behavior that comes into play in adolescents
What is Chronic Disease like in Adolescence?
Highest graft failure rates:
- ~35% lose kidney
- 1.8 times the rate of people <17 and >24 years
- Substantial costs to individuals & NHS
Deterioration in HbA1c in diabetes:
•Associated with lasting complications (e.g., cardiovascular disease, neuropathjy, retinopathy)
Diabetes control drops off in adolescents
Consistent across medical conditions
Outcomes worse in adolescents than they are earlier on in childhood or later in life
Photo: Kidney Transplants in Adolescents
Kidney transplant graft survival rate
Obvious dip in adolescents
Diabetes Control in Adolescents - what is it like?
Something about adolescents that means disease control is not as good and mortality is higher and some of that is due to specific behavioural challenges of adolescents
Part 2
What is Adolescence?
- Specific, unique developmental stage
- Occurs between 11-25 years - Not “teenagers”, not just puberty
- Period of unique and significant development - biological, psychological, social
Understanding Adolescence - Brain Changes:
what brain changes occur?
- Brain undergoes significant development during period of adolescence
- Many ways this helps to explain the myriad social, emotional and behavioural changes often attributed to adolescence
Peak grey matter volume in prefrontal cortex in adolescents
Synapses that are being used are strengthened and ones that arnt are pruned away
It’s the prefrontal cortex that is maturing later on towards end of adolescents – this associated with higher levels functions
How Are Adolescents Different?
What things change as Brain Development occurs?
what is abstract and concrete thinking?
With more advanced abstract thinking skills you can see indirect relationships that are not immediately apparent in younger adolescents
what Social Development occurs in adolescents?
- Developing self-identity - increased self-consciousness
- Growing independence from parents and increased focus on peer relationships
- Problems such as bullying - can have significant impact
- Questioning of different views & developing (can lead to increased family conflict)
- Development of romantic relationships/sexual orientation
- Seeking new experiences and increased risk taking behaviours
Mental Health - what is it like in Adolescence?
- Critical period for a YP’s mental health and wellbeing
- Recent data one in seven 11 to 16 year olds have a diagnosable mental health disorder
- Over half of mental health problems are established by age 14 and 75% by age 24
- Some data suggests prevalence may be rising
As adolescents are still developing - What does this mean for Healthcare Provision?
- May have different priorities to us/their parents - LT (long term) health my not be of paramount importance at this stage
- Skills necessary to manage LT conditions still developing
- Growing independence from parents
- Navigating multiple changes with often competing demands
- Developing identity - sensitive to criticism
- May be developing ideas around self in relation to condition & self-management
- Opportunities to build confidence lay foundation for longer-term self-care