Puberty & Adolescence Flashcards
What are the 3 phases of adolescence?
Early 11-13
Middle 14-17
Late 18-21
What is adolescence?
Traditional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood
What’s puberty? At what ages does it happen in girls and boys?
What’s though to trigger it in females?
= biological changes of adolescence
Girls 11.2 years
Boys 11.6 years
In girls a weight of 47kg trigger for hormonal changes
Hormonally, what instigates the onset of sexual maturation?
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
What happens in the adolescent growth spurt?
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
When does the adolescent growth spurt start and end in girls and boys?
Girls 10 years - 18/19
Boys 12 years - 20/22
Generally what happens during female puberty?
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
What are Tanner’s 5 stages of puberty in girls
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)
What’s the earliest sign of male puberty and how can you measure this?
Earliest sign is testicle growth - can measure with orchidometer
Adult male testicle has volume of 20ml
What changes occur in male puberty?
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
What’s the hormonal control of spermatogenesis?
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
What are Tanner’s 5 stages of puberty in boys?
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
What’s precocious and delayed puberty? What ages are they classified at
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)
How is delayed puberty diagnosed?
Lack of progression through Tanners within 4.5 to 5 years of onset
What’s the relevance of the PFC and synaptogenesis in the adolescent brain?
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
What’s the role of the limbic system, with regards to adolescent brain development?
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
What does cognitive ignition involve?
Advanced reasoning
Meta-cognition
Logical thought processes
Abstract thinking
What are the 4 stages of cognitive development in childhood?
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
What are some social developmental tasks
Emotional separation from parents
Peer identity
Exploratory behaviours (smoking, drinking, drugs)
Development of intimate relationships
Development of vocational capabilities and financial independence
What are parts of forming an identity?
Becoming independent Achieving mastery or a sense of competence Establishing social status Experiencing intimacy Determining sexual identity Developing autonomy
What’s Erickson’s psychosocial stage at adolescence?
Identity vs role confusion - adolescents need to develop a strong personal identity
Failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self
What are Kohlbergs 3 moral stages and their ages
Preconventional up to the age of 9
Conventional - most adolescents and adults
Postconventional - up to 15% of over 20s
What are the effects of tobacco and alcohol on the developing adolescent brain?
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
How does brain development affect the way adolescents sleep?
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
What effects might drugs have on the adolescent brain?
Drugs target dopamine receptor neurones and may affect development in areas of impulse control and ability to experience reward
What’s the importance of good quality care-giving in the first 42 months?
Quality of care in first 42 months predicts the quality of romantic relationships in early adulthood
What’s the single biggest predictor of poor mental health in adolescence?
Disorganised attachment is predictor of serious psychopathology
What’s Bibace and Walsh explanation of childhood illness?
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
What’s STEP
An approach to considering adolescent development in clinical settings
Sexual maturation and growth
Thinking
Education/employment
Peers/parents
