Puberty and Adolescence

Question 1

What are the 3 stages of adolesence?

Answer 1

Early adolescence: 11-13 years

Middle adolescence: 14-17 years

Late adolescence: 18-21 years

Question 2

Define puberty

How long is this process usually?

What is it inititated by?

Answer 2

Biological changes of adolescence

Most adolescents complete puberty within 3-5 years

Initiated by the beginning of pulsatile release of gonadotrophic releasing hormone from the hypothalamus, which stimulates LH and FSH release from the anterior pituitary which stimulates testosterone, oestrogen and progesterone production.

Question 3

What occurs in the adolescent growth spurt?

When does the growth spurt usually begin for girls and boys?

Answer 3

Rapid increase in height and weight

Long bone growth

Usually starts at around age 10 in girls, age 12 in boys; ends around age 18-19 in girls, 20-22 years in boys.

Question 4

How does bone mineral mass differ between adolescent boys and girls?

What causes the increase in bone mineral mass?

Answer 4

Bone mineral mass the same between males and females until sexual maturation:

• Increases more in boys due to the fact that their period of growth is longer than girls’.

Bone mineral mass increases due to increase in bone size with little change in density.

Question 5

What is the significance of bone tissue accummulate by girls between the ages of 11 and 13?

Answer 5

Equals that lost in the 30 years post-menopause

Question 6

What occurs during female puberty?

Answer 6

Breasts develop

Pubic and axillary hair begins to grow

Growth spurt

Pelvis widens

Increased fat deposited in subcutaneous tissue, especially around hips and breasts

Question 7

What occurs in Tanner’s stage 2 of female puberty?

Answer 7

Stage 2:

• Breast bud forms
• Areola enlarges
• Papilla and areola elevate as small mound
• Sparse, straight, downy, slightly pigmented hair grows along labia.

Question 8

What occurs in Tanner’s stage 3 of female puberty?

Answer 8

Stage 3:

• Continued enlargement of breast bud elevates papilla
• Areola enlarges
• No breast contours
• More pigmented, curly, sparse distribution of pubic hair across entire pubis

Question 9

What occurs in Tanner’s stage 4 of female puberty?

Answer 9

Stage 4:

• Areola and papilla separate from breast contour to form secondary mound
• Denser pubic hair, adult distrubution but less abundant. Restricted to pubis only (extends to thighs in stage 5)

Question 10

What occurs during male puberty?

Answer 10

• Earliest sign is growth of the testicle
• Increase in height and weight
• Increase in bone and muscle mass
• Larynx enlarges and voice deepens and breaks
• Hair grows on face, axillae, pubis, chest and abdomen
• Scrotum, penis and prostate gland increase in size
• Seminiferous tubules mature and spermatozoa are produced
  
  • Spermarche- onset of sperm emissions

Question 11

What occurs in Tanner’s stage 2 of male puberty?

Answer 11

• Enlargement of testes (> or = 4ml) and reddening of scrotum
• Few darker hairs at base of penis

Question 12

What occurs in Tanner’s stage 3 of male puberty?

Answer 12

• Enlargement of penis length
• Testes further enlarge to 6-10ml
• Curly pigmented hairs across pubis

Question 13

What occurs in Tanner’s stage 4 of male puberty?

Answer 13

• Broadening of glans penis
• Testes grow to 10-15 ml
• Small adult configuration of pubic hair, no growth on thighs

Question 14

What is precocious puberty?

Is it most common amongst girls or boys?

Answer 14

Early onset of puberty:

• Before 8 years in girls
• Before 9.5 years in boys

5x more common in girls

Question 15

What occurs in adolescent brain development?

What effects does this cause?

Answer 15

During early puberty there is synaptic pruning, whereby 3% of grey matter in the brain is lost; this occurs especially in the prefrontal cortex. This has the effect of changes in:

• Impulse management
• Executive functioning
• Personality
• Reward perception
• Decision making
• Social decision making

The limbic system which is responsible for percieving reward from risk increases in activity in early adolescence, which can be responsible for increased risk taking behaviour.

Cognitive ignition takes place:

• Abstract thinking
• Meta-cognition
• Logical thought processes
• Advanced reasoning

Question 16

What are social development tasks of an adolescent?

Answer 16

• Emotional separation from parents
• Peer identity: developmeny of social autonomy (late adolescence)
• Exploratory behaviours
• Development of intimate relationships
• Development of vocational capabilities and financial independence

Question 17

Which region of the limbic system is most involved with social recognition?

Answer 17

Amygdala

Question 18

What does Erickson’s psychosocial stages of adolescence say about identity and role confusion?

Answer 18

Adolescents need to develop a strong personal identity; failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self.

Question 19

What is involved in forming a social identity?

Answer 19

• Becoming independent
• Achieving ‘mastery’ or a sense of competence
• Establishing social status
• Experiencing intimacy
• Determining sexual identity
• Developing autonomy
  
  • Physical- doing things alone
  • Psychological- exercising judgement and one’s own principles of right and wrong.

Question 20

What is Kohlberg’s conventional moral stage?

Answer 20

Most adolescents and adults fit into this stage:

• Interpersonal concordance: being ‘good’ is whatever pleases others, conformist attitude to morality. Right and wrong determined by majority.
• Law and order: being ‘good’ means doing duty to society, respect for autonomy and law abiding.

Question 21

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

Answer 21

Adolescents are more vulnerable to the negative effects of alcohol on the hippocampus (working memory and learning)

They are less sensitive to sedative effects of alcohol, therefore may engage in more dangerous behaviours under the influence.

Nicotine affects adolescents differently to adults, causing worse cell damage.

Question 22

How does the circadian rhythm of adolescents differ to that of adults?

Answer 22

Shifted forward. Melatonin secretions start later at night and stop later in the morning.

Adolescents also require 9-10 hours sleep (most are sleep deprived)

Question 23

What may the effects of drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines have on the developing adolescent brain?

Answer 23

May affect brain development in areas responsible for impulse control and the ability to experience reward.

Question 24

What is considered a good predictor of the quality of early adulthood romantic relationships?

Answer 24

The quality of the care given within the first 42 months of life

Question 25

What is considered a good predictor of mental health in adolescents?

Answer 25

Disorganised attachment at 1 year of age

Question 27

Describe Bibace and Walsh’s children’s explanation of illness

Answer 27

• Age 2-4: Phenominism; objects believes to cause illness, no sense of mechanisms of illness.
• Age 4-7: Contagion; illness caused by proximity to ill people/particular objects
• 7-9: Contamination; illness caused by physical contact with ill person, can be considered punishment for behaviour.
• 9-11: Internalisation; illness located in the body but can be caused by external factors
• 11-16: Physiological; illness caused by malfunctions in organs/systems
• 16+: Psychophysiological; psychological factors influence physiological processes rather than being an outcome.

Question 28

What are the 4 main areas of adolescent development?

Answer 28

• *S:** Sexual maturation/growth
• *T: ​**Thinking
• *E:** Education/employment
• *P:** Peers/parents- social relationships