Adolescence

Adolescence:
 Adolescence is characterized by the time period between 12-20yrs.
 It is a period of transition between childhood and adulthood and a time of profound biological, intellectual, psychological and economic change.
 During this period individuals reach physical and sexual maturity, develop more sophisticated reasoning abilities and make educational and occupational decisions that will shape their adult careers.
 Adolescence period is subdivided into 3 stages:
 Early adolescence: 12-14yrs
 Middle adolescence: 15-17yrs
 Late adolescence: 18-20yrs
 The different changes in adolescents also differ during these subphases:
 Early adolescence is characterized primarily by the changes of puberty and responses to these changes.
 Middle adolescence is characterized by transition to a dominant peer orientation, music, dress, appearance, language and behaviour.
 Late adolescence involves transition into adulthood including talking on adult work roles and developing adult relationships.

Physical development of adolescents:
 The major milestone of development in the adolescence period are the onset of puberty and the cessation of body growth.
 Most girls are 2.4-5cm taller than boys coming into adolescence and generally stop growing within 3 yrs from menarche.
 Boys grow about 10-30cm in ht. and gain 7-30kg wt. during adolescence.
 Girls grow 5-20cm in ht. and gain wt. 7-25kg.
 Growth stops with the closure of epiphyseal line of long bones which occurs at about 16-17yrs in female and about 18-20yrs in male.
 Physical growth during adolescence is greatly influenced by heredity, nutrition, medical care, illness, physical and emotional environment, family size and culture.

 Musculo-skeletal changes:
 The head, hand, feet grows first. Extremities grows before the trunk because of which they look ‘leggy’.
 After trunk grows to full size the shoulder chest and hip grows.
 Skull, facial bone and jaw bone develop and forehead becomes more prominent.

 Skeletal differences:
 Shoulder wide in boys and broader hip in girls.
 Under the influence of ‘testosterone’ muscle increases steadily and remerkably well developed in boy.
 In both sexes fat deposition on trunk increases which is more pronounced on girls particularly in the region over the thighs, hip, buttocks and around the breast tissue.


 Skin changes:
 Androgenic hormones produce increased thickness and some darkening of the skin.

 Voice changes:
 Girls’ voice become slightly deeper and considerably full.
 In boys, voice shifts uncontrollably from deep to high tone.

 Hair:
 Pubic and axillary hair appears in both sexes, although its more extensive in male than females.
 In boys body hair appears on chest, back and shoulder and moustache and beard line also appears.

 Sweat gland:
 Formation of apocrine sweat glands (glands present in axilla and genital area) occurs shortly after puberty.
 These glands produce a strong odour.

 Teeth:
 Adolescents gain 2nd molar at about 13yrs and 3rd molar (wisdom teeth) between 18 and 21yrs.

 Sexual changes/secondary sex characteristics:
 Boy
 Begins enlargement of testes, scrotum and penis.
 Scrotal skin becomes darkly pigmented and rugated.
 The first noticeable sign of puberty is appearance of pubic hair.
 Facial and axillary hair also appear.
 Milestone of male puberty is ejaculation that occurs at 14yrs of age.
 Girl:
 First noticeable sign of puberty is appearance of breast bud.
 Pubic and axillary hair appears
 Milestone of female puberty is menarche which usually occur after 2yrs of thelarche.
 Female internal reproductive organ reach about adult size in about 18-20yrs sequential order in which development occurs in adolescent girl is:
Thelarche->pubarche->further develpoment of breast and pubic hair->menarche->maturation of breast and adult female distribution of pubic hair.



Physiological changes in adolescents:
 Cardiovascular system:
 The size and strength of heart, blood volume and systolic blood pressure increase and pulse rate decrease.
 Pulse rate is slightly high in girls than in boys.
 Blood volume and hematocrit level are high in boys.
 Respiratory system:
 Respiratory rate decrease but volume and tidal capacity increase.
 Fluid and electrolyte:
 Body fluid volume reaches adult level and is higher in girls than in boys.
 Intellectual change:
 The ability to respond to physical stress and strain develops and performance improves.
 Integumentary change:
 Due to extreme activities of sebaceous gland acne appears on face.
 Sweating present especially in the axilla and becomes odoriferous.
 Pubic and axillary hair develops in both sexes
 In boys moustache, beard, long hair on extrimities, in chest and even in shoulder and back.
 Reproductive system:
 Production and release of gonads.
 Secretion of sex appropriate hormones like estrogen and progesterone from ovaries and testosterone from testes.

Psychological and emotional development in adolescents
 It is a transition period of life beginning with the appearance of secondary sex characteristics and ending with cessation of growth.
 Their ability to reason, assess, evaluate, thinking and new ideas increase during this period so they can go following psychological and emotional development:
a) Cognitive development:
It is the development in the thinking capacity of a person. The adolescents become capable of scientific reasoning and formal logic.

b) Self concept and body image development:
- In adolescence, physical and psychological alteration, new sensation and feelings, are experienced .
- Factors influencing their self-concept are age of maturation, degree of attractiveness, nane or nickname, size and physique appropriate to their gender.
- Rapid body growth during adolescence results in revision of individual’s body image. To integrate these changing body image they spend lot of time in body hygiene, selecting clothing and staying in front of mirror.

c) Moral development:
- Adolescents are conscious about existing moral values. They try to establish their own moral codes.
- Their decision based on an internalized set of moral principle provide them a source to evaluate the situation and plan of the course of action that is consistence with their values and ideas.

d) Idealism:
- With the capacity of abstract thinking adolescents become concerned about gaining a clear understanding of life and its purposes.

e) Search for identity:
- Identity formation is enhanced by having support not only from parents but also from other person who has a stable identity.
- During this period they develop personal identity, group identity and sex role identity.