Ch 2: Puberty Flashcards
Puberty
When a person become capable of sexual reproduction (usually occurs age 11-13)
Early puberty (“precocious” puberty)
Age 8-9
Types:
—Central precocious puberty: brain signals pituitary gland too early
—Peripheral precocious puberty: when sex hormones are overproduced
Often stopped with medication, which delays it until the proper time
Delayed (late) puberty
Will eventually go through normal puberty, often runs in families.
Causes:
—Hypogonadism: little hormone production
—Gland fails to signal hormones (can be caused by genetic disorders/brain trauma)
What influences the timing of puberty?
- Genes
- Intensive weight training
- Weight
- Family conflict and father absence
- Living in a higher altitude
- Sexual abuse
Early-maturing boys
–Positive self-evaluations (more confident)
–Better athletic skills
–More popular with girls
–Early onset of sexual activity
–Favoured by adults
–More is expected of them than they can often handle
–More likely to show behavioural problems (drugs, gangs)
–Benefits last into adulthood (confidence increases and remains)
Late-maturing boys
–Socially-induced inferiority
–Develop negative self-perception
–Become very self-conscious
–Often withdraw
–May be overly eager for attention
–May delay adult commitments (marriage, jobs)
Early-maturing girls
–Poor body image and negative self-evaluations (different from early guys)
–Vulnerable to peer pressure
–Lower grades
–More popular with boys
–Earlier sexual activity
–Often try to look older
Late-maturing girls
–Distinct social disadvantages in high school
–Resent looking like/being treated like little girls
–Envious of peers
–Loss of social status
–Less attractive to boys
The Secular Trend
For the last 150 years, each new generation of adolescents has been taller and heavier, has grown to maturity and has started puberty at a slightly earlier age.
–Taller by 1 cm per decade
–Heavier by .5 kgs per decade
–Age of puberty has decreased ~3 months per decade
Explanations:
–Improvements in nutrition
–Decline in growth-retarding illnesses during childhood
–Better medical care
Why do AD feel negatively about their bodies?
–Exposure to “ideal” bodies on social media
–Bullying because of looks
–Appearance is important for dating
–Apps that allow you to alter appearance
Bulimia
Eating disorder–bingeing and purging
Characteristics:
–Often starts after a period of regular dieting
–Weight is normal
–Binges and purges (massive amount of food consumed in a short time, then throw it all up)
Anorexia
Eating disorder: self-starvation
Characteristics:
–Drive for thinness and morbid fear of being overweight
–Preoccupation with food
–Cognitive dysfunction
Anorexia vs. Bulimia
Anorexia
–Slightly younger age of onset
–More significant medical complications
–Easier to spot (thinness)
Bulimia
–Much more likely to recognize behaviour is unusual
–Less obsessive about regular diet
–Less easy to spot (yellow teeth/scraped knuckles are visible signs)
What are the causes of eating disorders?
–societal pressures to be thin
–family environment (AD wants to control something in their life)
–Cognitive disturbances (distorted view of their body)
–Mood problems (depression, sadness, low self-esteem)
Muscle Dysmorphia
25% of AD males
Features:
–Compulsive exercise
–Specific dieting
–Use of steroids
–Disruptions to daily life
Physical Activity
Decrease in physical activity during adolescence (especially for females)
Why?
–Driving instead of walking
–Too much screen time
–Time crunch
–Social factors (no one to exercise with)
–Fewer take PE classes
Adolescents and Sleep
–Not getting enough!
–AD need MORE sleep but are getting much less
Consequences: school problems, depression, dangers (sleepy while driving)
What is adrenarche and gonadarche?
They are hormonal changes–two phases of puberty
Adrenarche: hormonal changes, happens around ages 6-10
Gonadarche: physical changes, happens around two years after adrenarche.
What is the relationship between weight, body fat, leptins, and kisspeptins, and the onset of puberty?
Some argue that children must reach a critical body mass before puberty.
Higher body weight, especially obesity, is linked to earlier pubertal development
Leptin: a hormone that may signal the beginning and progression of puberty. Leptin concentrates, which are higher in girls than in boys, are related to the amounts of fat in girls and androgens in boys. Thus a rise in leptin may indicate adequate fat stores for reproduction and the maintenance of pregnancy.
Why do many adolescents get body art?
–To be different, to stamp their identity and be unique
–Markers for “risk-taking” — especially multiple body piercings
–Increasingly used to express individuality and self-expression, rather than rebellion.
State two factors that increase the likelihood that an adolescent will get involved in risky behaviours and two factors that decrease the likelihood.
Increase:
-“Hanging out” with peers in unstructured contexts
-Risk taken by siblings increases the likelihood of an adolescent engaging in risk-taking.
Decrease:
-More resources (role models, youth activities)
-Parental monitoring and communication skills
Discuss the neurobiological explanations of adolescent risk-taking behaviour, noting the importance of the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala
Basically, the prefrontal cortex (the logic center) develops later than the amygdala (emotions department), so this may explain why AD have a hard time stopping their risky adventures.
What are the leading causes of death among ADs?
-Accidents
-Homicides
-Suicides
Provide experimental evidence which shows that exercise might act as a buffer against the stress some adolescents experience.
Nine-month physical activity intervention with sedentary adolescent girls improved their self-image
Provide experimental evidence which show that adolescents derive positive benefits from participating in organized sports.
Adolescents who participated in sports were less likely to engage in risk-taking activities.
- What is the female athlete triad? Is it common? Are coaches aware of the female athlete triad?
A combination of disordered eating (weight loss), amenorrhea (absent or irregular menstrual periods) and osteoporosis (thinning and weakening of bones).
Often goes unnoticed
Provide some evidence which shows that a later start to the school day is beneficial to adolescents
Adolescents who slept 7 or less hours engaged in more delinquent acts than their counterparts who slept 8-10 hours/night.
