Human Development and Interaction

1. Human Development and Interaction Adolescence

2. Defining Adolescence • Little consensus on the beginning and endpoints of adolescence unlike other developmental periods • Is it chronological – age span between 12 and 19? Are there others who may or may not think of themselves as adolescents? • Is it biological – obvious onset of puberty and the completion of bone growth – adolescence may be more than just biological markers • Is it legal definition – laws related to education, child labor and legal procedures related to the age group – but laws vary by state and sometimes by city- laws frequently change • Psychological – defined by cognitive changes – the onset of formal operational (abstract) thinking – also Erikson’s theory with an emphasis on adolescence as a time for developing identity and a sense of individuality • Best definition may be that in our culture it is a time of marked changes, specific to this age group (biological, social emotional and cognitive); boundaries shift depending on the contexts of time, place and individual

3. Physical and Relationship Changes at Puberty • Primary and secondary sex characteristics (primary are directly related to reproduction and secondary are outward manifestations of sexual development not directly involved in reproduction) • Boys and girls produce androgens and estogens at different levels (breast devt in males and hair development in females) • Tanner Stages – divided physical changes of puberty into stages that go from (1) child’s body to 5 (adult’s body) based on genital and pubic hair development in boys and breast and pubic hair development in girls

4. Puberty • Girls are 1.5 to 2 years before boys • More likely to see variation in development in 6th grade than any other grade before • Changing body does not mean child is cognitively more development • Sexual development before age 8 for girls and 9 for boys is considered precocious (causes unknown; may be due to brain disorders, injuries, hormone secreting tumors or cysts on ovaries or adrenal glands, could even be inherited, drugs and/or surgery often helps) • Delayed puberty affects 1 in 100 children. Girls considered delayed if not started by 12 or 13 and boys at 14 or 15 (causes unknown, rarely could be chromosomal or CNS disorder); nutrition, health and emotional well-being can also contribute to delays; sometimes treat with hormones. Once delay is corrected child usually catches up to peers in terms of height

5. Parent-Adolescent Relationships • Parent-child relationships change during adol • Children spend less time with parents, have decrease emotional closeness and less likely to give in to parents’ decisions • P-A conflict increases in early adol and decreases when child turns 18 • Most conflict not intense – includes mild bickering, disagreements and conflicts over minor issues (clothes, grades and chores)

6. Do parent-child relationships change during puberty? • Model #1 – hormonal changes lead to emotional and behavioral changes which in turn, affect parent-child relationships • Model #2 – puberty leads to secondary sex characteristics and secondary sex characteristics are meaningful to adol and parent (e.g., how child is built is then related to what she wears). As a result parents and adol have changed expectations and interactions • Model #3 – Most complex and suggests puberty coincides with other life changes. These changes form complex interplay between biology, cognition, social and emotional factors leading to changes in parent-child interaction

7. Leading Causes of Mortality in Adolescents Ages 10-19, 2000

8. MORBIDITY/MORTALITY • Accidents and injuries leading cause of death for both males and females • Many of these accidents involve alcohol and other substances

9. MORBIDITY/MORTALITY • Sexually transmitted diseases are common infectious diseases among adolescents • Among adolescents ages 15-19, pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of hospitalization

10. RISK AREAS & MENTAL HEALTH • Links between mental health and risky behavior: • Feeling sad/hopeless linked to: • Driving under influence of alcohol • Substance use (cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol) • Number of sex partners • Fighting/Weapon Carrying

11. Adolescent Suicide • Adolescents bombarded with words, music and imagery related to death and dying • (name movies, songs, movie videos that have death imagery) • Due to cognitive changes in adol able to think of possibilities and abstract • Erikson describes adol as time of searching and exploring the unknown (what is more unknown than death) • Adol is also a time to feel immortal – feel young, healthy, invincible. Death is unreal yet fascinating, may not see death as final • Those not yet in formal operations are unable to deal with complex issues and see only the concrete. Are unable to see the long term consequences of their actions • Some adolescents can’t see problems as temporary and are unable to see beyond their immediate pain • As a result suicide is the their leading cause of death in adol after accidents and homicide

12. Reasons for increased adolescent suicide • Due to increased substance abuse • Firearms • Stress • Lack of friends, family history of suicide, depression • May commit suicide like the break-up of a relationship • Females more likely to attempt but less likely to die because they use less lethal methods

13. Characteristics of families with suicidal adolescent • Family imposes strict rules • Communication patterns are poor, family members don’t listen • One parent may be overly attached to adol and not allow him/her to achieve autonomy • Longterm patterns of family dysfunction • With girls incest occurs at a higher rate than the general population

14. Warning Signs • Suicidal gestures and attempts • Talk about suicide is not a myth • Making special preparations like giving things away • Behavioral changes including going from being high achiever to failing • Major event such as divorce, death in family • In one study most common event was argument with girlfriend, boyfriend or parent and the next most common was school problems

15. What can be done? • Primary prevention (get at universal underlying causes) • Improving social competence through problem-solving training, family support, literacy, parent education • Secondary prevention – identification and treatment of at-risk youth; screening programs • Tertiary prevention – designed for those who have attempted e.g., hotline services, mental health treatment via psychotherapy

16. PROMOTING ADOLESCENT HEALTH • Intervention: • Reduce opportunities (e.g. underage smoking, drinking) • Help them to make good decisions • Help adolescents develop a sense of responsibility for themselves, make healthy choices, learn how to negotiate relationships and systems

17. PARENTING STYLES • Authoritative Parent • Parents encourage child’s independence and autonomy, while also providing structure and enforcing rules. • Authoritative parenting associated with positive outcomes in children - school achievement, competence, risky behavior (e.g. Baumrind).

18. PARENTING STYLES • Components of Authoritative Parenting: • Involvement • Structure/Strictness – expectations that are clear • Autonomy Support – consider adolescent’s perspective

19. PARENTAL MONITORING • How much do parents really know about what their teens are doing? (Steinberg) • Large body of research links parental monitoring with fewer adolescent behavior problems, including less substance use, less risky sexual behavior, less delinquency, and better school performance (Kerr & Statin, 2000; Crouter & Head, 2002; Dornbusch et al., 1985; Steinberg et al., 1994; Patterson et al., 1984).

20. PARENTAL MONITORING • Adolescent-Parent relationship & communication: (Statin, Kerr and colleagues, 2000) • Parent asking questions • Setting up communication plans (who calls whom and when; what we do as a family; parents modeling the behavior) • Being involved in adolescent’s life and effort to know people in their life

21. PARENTAL MONITORING • Adolescent-Parent relationship & communication: • Informal monitoring, e.g. talking to friend’s parents or teachers in after-school program • Parents need support in monitoring • After-school programs for adolescents • Transportation to programs

22. NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON ADOLESCENT HEALTH Results • Parent-family connectedness and school connectedness protective against almost every health risk behavior • Parental expectations regarding school achievement were linked to less risky behavior • While physical presence of a parent in the home at key time reduces risk (esp. substance abuse), plays less of a role than parental connectedness (e.g. feelings of warmth, love and caring) *Resnick et al., 1997