Puberty & Adolescence

Question 1

What are the 3 phases of adolescence?

Answer 1

Early 11-13
Middle 14-17
Late 18-21

Question 2

What is adolescence?

Answer 2

Traditional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood

Question 3

What’s puberty? At what ages does it happen in girls and boys?
What’s though to trigger it in females?

Answer 3

= biological changes of adolescence

Girls 11.2 years
Boys 11.6 years

In girls a weight of 47kg trigger for hormonal changes

Question 4

Hormonally, what instigates the onset of sexual maturation?

Answer 4

Pulsed release of GnRH from hypothalamus
Blood vessels carry GnRH to pituitary gland where FSH and LH are release
FSH and LH control production of testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone in testes/ovaries

Question 5

What happens in the adolescent growth spurt?

Answer 5

Rapid increase in the rate of height and weight
Virtually all long bones of body except female pelvis (continuous growth)
Bone building speed in spine and hip increase by 5x

Question 6

When does the adolescent growth spurt start and end in girls and boys?

Answer 6

Girls 10 years - 18/19

Boys 12 years - 20/22

Question 7

Generally what happens during female puberty?

Answer 7

The breast develop and enlarge
Pubic and axillary hair start to grow
Growth spurt and pelvis widens
Increased fat deposited in subcutaneous tissue, especially around hips and breasts

Question 8

What are Tanner’s 5 stages of puberty in girls

Answer 8

Stage 1 = prepubertal so no breast tissue or pubic hair
Stage 5 = mature adult breast with single contour and adult pubic hair distribution

Stage 2 = areolar enlargement with breast bud + few darker hairs along labia

Stage 3 = enlargement of breast and areola as single mound + curly pigmented hairs across pubes

Stage 4 = projection of areola above breast as double mound + small adult configuration of pubic hair (dense, curled, less abundant than adult and restricted to pubic area)

Question 9

What’s the earliest sign of male puberty and how can you measure this?

Answer 9

Earliest sign is testicle growth - can measure with orchidometer

Adult male testicle has volume of 20ml

Question 10

What changes occur in male puberty?

Answer 10

Increase in height, weight, muscle and bone
Larynx enlarges, voice deepens and breaks
Hair grows on face, axilla, chest, abdomen and pubis
Scrotum, penis and prostate gland enlarge in size
Seminiferous tubules mature and spermatozoa are produced

Question 11

What’s the hormonal control of spermatogenesis?

Answer 11

Anterior pituitary increases the secretion of LH and FSH
LH stimulates Leydig cells to secrete Testosterone
FSH acts directly to stimulate spermatogenesis
Spermarche = onset of sperm emissions
Sperm are formed in seminiferous tubule of the testes at a rate of 300m/day from puberty throughout life

Question 12

What are Tanner’s 5 stages of puberty in boys?

Answer 12

Stage 1: prepubertal = testes 2ml and no pubic hair
Stage 5: adult genitalia size and shape, 15-20ml and adult pubic hair distribution

Stage 2 = enlargement of the tests 4ml, reddening of the scrotum + few dark hairs at basis of penis

Stage 3 = lengthening of the penis, enlargement of testes to 6-8 ml + curly pigmented hairs across pubic region

Stage 4 = broadening of glands penis, growth of testes to 10-15ml and small adult configuration of pubic hair with none on the thighs

Question 13

What’s precocious and delayed puberty? What ages are they classified at

Answer 13

Precocious puberty is early puberty, more common in girls
Before age 8 and in boys before age 9.5

Delayed puberty is a lack of secondary sexual characteristics by 13 in girls and 14 in boys (more common in boys)

Question 14

How is delayed puberty diagnosed?

Answer 14

Lack of progression through Tanners within 4.5 to 5 years of onset

Question 15

What’s the relevance of the PFC and synaptogenesis in the adolescent brain?

Answer 15

Adolescent brain is vulnerable
Just before puberty there is exuberant synaptogenesis and weaker connections are pruned
PFC is responsible for executive functioning, reasoning, impulse management, decision making, social decision making, personality and reward

= reflect changes in behaviour/risk taking seen through puberty/adolescence

Question 16

What’s the role of the limbic system, with regards to adolescent brain development?

Answer 16

Limbic system perceives rewards from risk = adolescents more likely to take risks than adults

Amygdala most involved with social recognition - forms foundation of social relationships

Question 17

What does cognitive ignition involve?

Answer 17

Advanced reasoning
Meta-cognition
Logical thought processes
Abstract thinking

Question 18

What are the 4 stages of cognitive development in childhood?

Answer 18

Sensorimotor 0-2 - infant explores the world though sensory and motor contact

Preoperational 2-6 - child uses symbols to represent objects but doesn’t reason logically

Concrete operational 6-12 - child can think logically about concrete objects and understands conversation

Formal operations 12+ - adolescent can reason abstractly and thinks in hypothetical terms

Question 19

What are some social developmental tasks

Answer 19

Emotional separation from parents
Peer identity
Exploratory behaviours (smoking, drinking, drugs)
Development of intimate relationships
Development of vocational capabilities and financial independence

Question 20

What are parts of forming an identity?

Answer 20

Becoming independent
Achieving mastery or a sense of competence
Establishing social status
Experiencing intimacy
Determining sexual identity
Developing autonomy

Question 21

What’s Erickson’s psychosocial stage at adolescence?

Answer 21

Identity vs role confusion - adolescents need to develop a strong personal identity
Failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self

Question 22

What are Kohlbergs 3 moral stages and their ages

Answer 22

Preconventional up to the age of 9

Conventional - most adolescents and adults

Postconventional - up to 15% of over 20s

Question 23

What are the effects of tobacco and alcohol on the developing adolescent brain?

Answer 23

Adolescent brain more vulnerable
Negative effects of alcohol on hippocampus: regulation of working memory and learning

Less sensitive to sedative qualities of alcohol

Nicotine affects adolescents differently to adults

Question 24

How does brain development affect the way adolescents sleep?

Answer 24

Sleep requirements increase from 9-10 hours
Most are sleep deprived
In adolescence circadian rhythm shifts forward
Melatonin secretions which trigger sleepiness start later at night and turn off later in the morning

Question 25

What effects might drugs have on the adolescent brain?

Answer 25

Drugs target dopamine receptor neurones and may affect development in areas of impulse control and ability to experience reward

Question 26

What’s the importance of good quality care-giving in the first 42 months?

Answer 26

Quality of care in first 42 months predicts the quality of romantic relationships in early adulthood

Question 27

What’s the single biggest predictor of poor mental health in adolescence?

Answer 27

Disorganised attachment is predictor of serious psychopathology

Question 28

What’s Bibace and Walsh explanation of childhood illness?

Answer 28

2-4 years phenomenism - objects cause illness

4-7 years contagion - illness caused by proximity to ill people

7-9 years contamination - illness caused by physical contact with ill person

9-11 years internalisation - illness located within the body but can be caused by external factor

11-16 years physiological - illness caused by malfunctions in organs/systems due to infection

16+ psychophysiological - stress can affect physiological processes

Question 29

What’s STEP

Answer 29

An approach to considering adolescent development in clinical settings

Sexual maturation and growth
Thinking
Education/employment
Peers/parents