Module 8

Question 1

What is adolescence

Answer 1

• Transition from childhood to adulthood
• Puberty to adult independence (@11-18 years)
• Sexual maturity (physically)
• Romantic relationships, increasing intimacy
• Increasing reliance on peer group
• Risk & experimentation

Question 2

What emerges during adolescence

Answer 2

• Abstract thought, formal reasoning
• Emerging independence
• Completed schooling & choosing career paths
• Identity achievement
• More stable self-esteem

Question 3

Biological perspective on adolescence

Answer 3

Biological perspective: start to fulfil biological destiny - reproduction

• G. Stanley-Hall: “storm & stress” a universal & normal feature;
• A “curve of despondency”
• “at no time in life is the love of excitement so strong”
• “his mind becomes inflamed with flash literature”
• Relational aggression “she uses her tongue instead of her fists”
• Considered sexuality healthy

Question 4

Social perspectives on adolescence

Answer 4

• Social Perspectives: “storm-and-stress” model is exaggerated
• Margaret Mead: first to consider individual variability in adjustment (1928), noted impact of the social environment

Question 5

Contemporary perspective on adolescence

Answer 5

• Contemporary perspective: biopsychosocial factors
• Biological features underpin importance of social influences
• Cultural differences in length of adolescence: industrialised countries have longer period, greater adjustment to independence
• 18 is an arbitrary end to adolescence

Question 6

Physical development

Answer 6

• Growth spurt: girls precede boys
• > Hands, feet & legs grow first, followed by torso
• Sex differences: shoulders & hips
• > Girls: accumulation of fat accelerates
• > Boys gain muscle, increased oxygen capacity from lungs to muscles

Question 7

Puberty

Answer 7

• Period of rapid physical maturation involving hormonal and bodily changes that occurs in early adolescence
• Transition from childhood to adulthood, when sexual reproduction becomes possible
• Initiated by increased secretion of growth and sex hormones from 8 – 9 years
• Individual differences
• > onset for girls around 10 and boys around 12

Question 8

Individual differences of puberty

Answer 8

• Hereditary: identical twins more similar in onset than fraternal
• > Identical twin sisters: 2.8 mths apart
• > Sisters: 12 mths apart
• Nutrition & exercise: earlier in obese girls but not boys
• Poverty & malnutrition: later onset
• Family environment: high conflict, harsh parenting, parental separation - earlier onset

Question 9

Consequences of pubertal timing

Answer 9

*look up image

Question 10

Psychological reactions during puberty

Answer 10

• Feel awkward, clumsy, unattractive
• Preoccupation with body throughout adolescence, heightened during puberty, acute dissatisfaction
• > More pronounced in girls: 30% of average weight girls view selves as fat
• Self-conscious, desire for privacy
• Moodiness: hormonal changes
• > Increased neuronal sensitivity
• > More negative life events
• > Situational: happier with friends in social situations than with adults in structured, adult-controlled contexts

Question 11

Factors influencing pubertal reactions

Answer 11

• Preparedness
• > Girls usually more informed than boys
• Cultural differences
• > Initiation rites & religious ceremonies
• > Formal recognition of transition to adulthood
• > Accompanied by change in social status
• > Western/Christian societies: partial adult status given at different time points, confusing & ambiguous transition

Question 12

Sexuality

Answer 12

Sex Education

• Many parents don’t give “sex talk”
• Openness and information associated with less risky sexual behaviours, views more like parents
• Mothers more communicative than fathers
• Girls: more information than boys
• Peers and popular media other sources of “education”

Question 13

Sex education in Aus secondary schools

Answer 13

• 16% of teachers have no formal sex ed training
• Most female health & PE teachers
• Puberty, reproduction & body image covered yrs 7-8
• Sexual education more likely to be covered yrs 9-10
• Rarely taught yrs 11-12
• Abstinence widely taught

Question 14

Emerging sexuality

Answer 14

First sexual intercourse:
Cohort born 1927-1956: 21yrs

Cohort born 1964: 19yrs

Cohort born 1977: 17yrs

Cohort born 1991: 17 yrs

Question 15

Adolescent sexuality

Answer 15

Earlier/more recent sexual activity associated with

• Earlier menstruation
• Greater independence
• Greater tolerance for deviant activity
• Poor academic achievement
• Poor relationships with parents/paternal absence
• Poverty
• Less religious
• Sexually active role models

Question 16

Adolescent sexuality in Australia: unwanted sex (years 10-12)

Answer 16

2013: 69% sexually active (2008 = 78%)
Experiences of unwanted sex
- Boys = 19.8% (2008 = 19%)
- Girls = 28.3% (2008 = 38%, 2002 = 19%)

Reasons for having unwanted sex (2013)

• Influence of alcohol: boys 53%; girls 47%
• Influence of drugs: boys 24%; girls 18%
• Pressure from partner: boys 37%; girls 60%
• Pressure from friends: boys 22%; girls 9%
• Frightened: boys 15%; girls 34%

Question 17

Homosexuality in Australia (14-21)

Answer 17

• 32% increase in same-sex couples since 2006 (ABS)

Age at first realisation

• Always knew: 10%
• By 10 yrs: 26%
• By 13yrs: 60%
• By 15yrs: 85%
• Unsure 5%

Question 18

Reactions to disclosure of homosexuality

Answer 18

• 97.5% have disclosed attraction (1998 = 82%)
• Most disclose to friends first, experience support
• Rates of family disclosure positive support increased from 1998 – 2010
• > BUT over-represented in homeless populations
• > Rejection following disclosure assoc with higher rates of self-harm & suicide
• Attending supportive school with homophobia policy decreased risk

Question 19

Homosexuality and abuse

Answer 19

• 61% report verbal abuse
• 18% report physical abuse (1998 = 13%)
• 69% reported exclusion/rumours (girls more likely)
• 80% of abuse occurred at school
• Boys more likely to experience abuse

Question 20

Brain development

Answer 20

• Myelination of the frontal lobes
• Improvements in attention, planning, self-regulation, integration of information
• Some EF tasks less mature: inhibition, planning, future orientation

Increased sensitivity to excitatory neurotransmittors

• Increased arousal
• Increased riskiness
• React more strongly to negative events, experience pleasure more intensely

Question 21

Brain development and changing arousal states

Answer 21

• Sleep phase delay: go to sleep later, but still require same (or more) amount of sleep
• > Sleep deprivation results in declined executive functioning
• > More likelihood of anxiety, moodiness
• > Weekend rebound effect exacerbates phase delay
• The teen brain is undergoing major reconstruction. We think this is why teens need MORE sleep than young adults and adults. On average teens need around 9.2 hours of sleep per night.
• pineal gland secretes melatonin 2 hours later
• look up image

Question 22

Technology use and teen sleep

Answer 22

Why is there now a (perhaps) even short night sleep?

• > Time on mobile phones displaces/disturbs sleep (Van den Bulk, 2007)
• > Exposure to bright light (melatonin suppressions) (Cajochen et al., 2011)
• > Cognitive and emotional arousal from message content (Cain & Gradisar, 2010)

Question 23

The effects of sleep loss

Answer 23

• Teens who get A’s and B’s get about 25 more minutes of sleep a night than students who average C grades or lower.
• Fatigue causes impulsiveness and poor concentration, these are similar signs to those of ADHD.
• > Some researchers believe that sleep deprivation is occasionally misdiagnosed as ADHD.
• Poor quality sleep linked to higher delinquency, depression, and lower coping and self-esteem.