The New Biobehavioral Developmental Science of Puberty

Dorn, Lorah D.; Susman, Elizabeth J.

doi:10.1111/jora.12449

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Adolescence is defined as the physiological and psychological transition from childhood to adulthood, which begins with invisible hormonal changes signaling the onset of puberty (Ellison et al, 2012 ). It is a complex and dynamic period that is contextually and individually tailored, with maturation of the body and brain intimately linked to social status, location, culture, environment, and family circumstances (Dorn & Susman, 2019 ). Puberty is a short‐term biological event taking place over a few weeks (Bogin et al, 2018 ), although it is associated with a longer period of physiological changes ending in sexual maturation, and incorporating complex and interrelated hormonal processes, and the adolescent growth spurt (Ellison et al, 2012 ).…”

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confidence: 99%

Exploring adolescence as a key life history stage in bioarchaeology

Lewis

2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Adolescence is a unique period in the life history of an individual. It is characterized by a myriad of changes that bioarchaeologists are only just coming to appreciate, related to sexual maturation, linear growth, immunological transformation, and emotional and cognitive development. New methods allow us to measure this age of transition through the stages of the adolescent growth, as a proxy for the physical development associated with sexual maturation (puberty). This review outlines ways bioarchaeologists may draw on research developments from the fields of human biology, evolutionary theory and neurobiology to advance a more holistic approach to the study of adolescence in the past. It considers current theoretical and analytical approaches to highlight the research potential of this critical stage of life history. This synthesis integrates the most recent research in the medical sciences concerned with body and brain development, and outlines the biological processes involved with sexual and physical maturation of the adolescent. The goal of this review is to help inform potentially rewarding areas of research that bioarchaeologists can contribute to and draw from, as well as the challenges and limitations, theoretical and methodological questions, and ways in which we can develop the study of adolescence in the discipline going forward.

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confidence: 99%

Exploring adolescence as a key life history stage in bioarchaeology

Lewis

2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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“…Some studies conducted among Black boys report similar findings to those from research among White boys (Ge et al, 2003; Mendle et al, 2011), whereas other research has not found a link between early pubertal development and depressive symptoms (Carter, Leath, et al, 2017; Carter, Seaton, et al, 2017; Nadeem & Graham, 2005). Given that the physical changes associated with puberty tend to occur earlier among Black boys (Dorn & Susman, 2019), improved understanding about the nature of the relation between early pubertal development and depressive symptoms within this population is needed.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Puberty, depressive symptoms, and neighborhood context among African American and Caribbean Black males.

Seaton¹,

Carter²

2022

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology

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Objective: Previous empirical research on pubertal development among Black boys is limited. The present study examined the ethnic-racial composition of neighborhoods as a moderator in the relation between pubertal indicators and depressive symptoms among a nationally representative sample of African American and Caribbean Black boys. Method: The present study utilized the male sample (N = 559) from the National Survey of American Life Adolescent sample (Jackson et al., 2004). The sample consists of 395 African American and 164 Caribbean Black boys ages 13-17 years who completed measures of relative pubertal timing, voice changes, pubic hair growth, and depressive symptoms. Results: The results indicate that Black boys with early developing hair growth who lived in neighborhoods with higher percentages of Black residents had higher depressive symptoms compared to their early developing counterparts in neighborhoods with fewer Black residents. African American males with early developing hair growth had higher depressive symptoms compared to Caribbean Black males with early developing hair growth regardless of neighborhood context. Conclusion: Early pubertal timing is a risk for African American boys' mental health regardless of neighborhood context. Public Significance StatementPubertal development is an important milestone for all youth despite the lack of research about pubertal development among Black boys. The present study examined neighborhood context with pubertal development and mental health among a national sample of Black boys. Early pubertal development, rather than late pubertal development, is a risk factor for the mental health of African American boys.

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“…Impacts in early childhood have been linked to adult earnings and health outcomes (Richter et al, 2017). Throughout childhood and particularly in adolescence, compromised family function can increase risks of early marriage, death by suicide, substance abuse, road injuries, drowning, interpersonal violence, threats to their sexual and reproductive health and school dropout (Bearinger et al, 2007;Dorn & Susman, 2019;Patton et al, 2016;Viner et al, 2012). The consequences stretch to the next generation, as adolescents become parents with families of their own (Benny et al, 2017;Patton et al, 2016).The harm to children can have significant consequences for society as a whole.…”

Section: Costs Of Inactionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Other people’s children and the critical role of the social service workforce

Desmond

Watt

Tomlinson

et al. 2022

Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies

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As any caregiver will attest, understanding the needs of your child is a complicated business. Understanding the varied needs of a population of children with whom you have no direct contact is near impossible, yet it is the challenge policy makers, government planners and donors face when making policy or selecting interventions to fund and implement. They cannot unpack each child's individual needs and so must predict what is most important for a given population and which services should therefore be prioritised. Priority setting can be simplified by assuming that the needs of other people's children are hierarchical. If needs are hierarchical, basic needs, such as food and shelter, must be met before it is possible or necessary to consider higher order needs, such as belonging and self-actualisation. This conceptualisation justifies a focus on basic needs and decision makers can ignore higher order needs and the complex interventions they may require, because both are assumed to be of secondary importance. We suggest that assuming needs are hierarchical and thus focusing on basic needs is a mistake. By drawing on examples from the literature, we outline how children, our own and other people's, have non-hierarchical needs thus caring for them is a balancing act, best done by those close to them. This conceptualisation of need highlights the importance of families and therefore how policy makers wishing to support children with whom they are not in close contact should focus on creating an enabling environment for families. For a subset of families who are struggling, additional family strengthening interventions may be needed. In the relatively rare cases that such interventions are insufficient as family function is severely compromised, more intensive interventions may be necessary, but must be undertaken with great care and skill. Social services are critical because they have a potential role along the continuum of need, from initial identification of problems, to service access and then direct support. They have the potential to facilitate the intensive interventions when they are required, and while they are not required by all, for some of the most vulnerable children they are essential. The quality standards of such a service will be key in meeting the needs of other people's children.

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The New Biobehavioral Developmental Science of Puberty

Cited by 12 publications

References 10 publications

Exploring adolescence as a key life history stage in bioarchaeology

Exploring adolescence as a key life history stage in bioarchaeology

Puberty, depressive symptoms, and neighborhood context among African American and Caribbean Black males.

Other people’s children and the critical role of the social service workforce

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