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Key Points
- Assessment of a young person's growth and development is paramount in early identification of certain conditions, including endocrine and musculo-skeletal disorders.
- Chronic illness, acute trauma and other adverse childhood events can have long-lasting impacts on young people.
- Risk taking is normal in young people, and carers must create positive risk-taking opportunities to facilitate healthy development.
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Overview
Health professionals will care for young people in a variety of settings, across all fields of nursing and specialties. Understanding key elements of adolescent development will enhance practice and improve outcomes for young people (Colver and Longwell, 2013). Often young people's needs are overlooked, sometimes with fatal consequences (Pettit, 2014). Practitioners should have an awareness of young people's growth and development to be able to recognise and assess their physical, social and emotional needs. This article provides an overview of adolescence and the implications for healthcare practice.
Adolescence is often characterised by biological growth and hormone changes, this period is commonly referred to as puberty (Sawyer et al, 2018). This stage of development typically spans from 10-24 years old and is complete once there is epiphyseal fusion of long bones (Murray and Clayton, 2013). Adolescence is a period of immense change. These changes are physical, social and emotional, all of
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Resources
References
Andersen SL. Commentary on the special issue on the adolescent brain: adolescence, trajectories, and the importance of prevention. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016;70:329-333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.012
Ben-Ari OT. Risk taking in adolescence: ‘To be or not to be’ is not really the question. In: Greenberg JKoole SLPyszczynski T (eds). Handbook of Experimental Existential Psychology. New York (NY): Guidlford Press; 2004:104–117
Blakemore SJ. Inventing ourselves: the secret life of the teenage brain. London: Doubleday; 2018
Child Growth Foundation. Premature sexual maturation (including precocious puberty). 2003. https://childgrowthfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/04_Premature_Sexual_Maturation-1.pdf (accessed 21 November 2022)
Choudhury, S. Charman T, Blakemore SJ. Development of the teenage brain. Mind, Brain and Education. 2008;2(3):142-147. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-228X.2008.00045.x
Cole T, Butler G, Short J, Wright C. Puberty phase specific growth charts: a radically new approach to the assessment of adolescent growth. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2012;97(Suppl 1):A117. https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2012-301885.279
Colver A, Longwell S. New understanding of adolescent brain development: relevance to transitional healthcare for young people with long term conditions. Arch Dis Child. 2013;98(11):902-907.
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