Why understand the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes that occur during adolescence?
Adolescence is a socially constructed concept. In pre-industrial society, children were considered adults when they reached physical maturity; however, today we have an extended time between childhood and adulthood known as adolescence. Adolescence is the period of development that begins at puberty and ends at early adulthood or emerging adulthood; the typical age range is from 12 to 18 years, and this stage of development has some predictable milestones.
Second only to infant development, adolescents experience rapid development in a short period of time. During adolescence, children gain 50% of their adult body weight, experience puberty and become capable of reproducing, and experience an astounding transformation in their brains. All of these changes occur in the context of rapidly expanding social spheres. Adolescents begin to learn about adult responsibilities and adult relationships. The details of growing bodies and the rational and irrational thinking of adolescents are covered in this module. As you will learn, although the physical development of adolescents is often completed by age 18, the brain requires many more years to reach maturity. Understanding these developmental changes can help adults and adolescents enjoy this second decade of life.
Youth hold a special place in First Nations families and communities. They represent the future and their health and well-being is understood as integral to the well-being and continuance of First Nations communities overall.
First Nations have long recognized adolescence as a critical period of development and growth, when girls transition into their roles as young women and young boys transition into men. As adolescents, they begin to establish their role within their families and communities and create their own path.
Rites of passage, such as coming-of-age ceremonies, are used to mark and celebrate this evolution. Through ceremony, young men and women receive blessings and teachings about their bodies and about their roles and responsibilities as adults. These ceremonies are instrumental in preserving traditional ways of knowing and being and serve as a powerful way to preserve cultural identity, values, and traditions. These ceremonies are often unique to each community but generally share a few common purposes: Cultural Transmission, Connection to Ancestry and Land, Strengthening Identity and Belonging and Community Support and Recognition (McKay & Prokop, 2006).
The deepest roots of wellness for First Nations include self-determination, identity and connections to culture, the land and community. While important at every life stage, these connections can be especially significant in shaping young person’s health during adolescence when so many aspects of their identity are in development.
The wellness of young First Nations youth is shaped above all by having self-determination, a strong sense of self, cultural identity and the ability to be in balance with the world around them. It is also shaped by the systems they must interact with to attempt to meet their basic needs: systems for education, health care, housing, transportation and justice (FNHA, 2024).
Erikson, and later Phinney describe the importance of achieving ethnic identity in the adolescent stage. It is such an important time for Indigenous youth to start to understand their role in Indigenous communities, culture and community. This is a time for teachings and learning within the culture for Indigenous youth in order for them to be able to counter some of the negative implication of systemic racism that disproportionately effect Indigenous youth. Many Indigenous organizations recognize the value and the advantages of involving youth in the discussions and decisions for the future of Indigenous communities. Bodies such as The Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Health Authority, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres and many more have youth committees or youth councils committed to engaging Indigenous youth at al levels.
Deep Dive:
| Geography, Place of Residence of mother | 2022 | 2023 |
| Rate | Rate | |
| Canada | 4.4 | 4.1 |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | 5.7 | 5.4 |
| Prince Edward Island | 4.9 | 3.9 |
| Nova Scotia | 5.9 | 3.9 |
| New Brunswick | 7.2 | 6.4 |
| Quebec | 4.2 | 3.7 |
| Ontario | 3.0 | 2.8 |
| Manitoba | 9.4 | 11.6 |
| Saskatchewan | 15.0 | 13.3 |
| Alberta | 5.2 | 4.7 |
| British Columbia | 2.7 | 2.2 |
| Yukon | .. | 5.4 |
| Northwest Territories | 13.4 | 11.1 |
| Nunavut | 66.1 | 72.7 |
(Government of Canada, Statistics Canada, 2024)
This chart clearly shows the disproportionate prevalence of teen pregnancies in Inuit communities. Not only is the number of teen pregnancies considerably higher in Nunavut than in the rest of Canada, but is one of only 2 provinces/territories that has continued to increase in number in recent years.
There has been a lot written, researched and hypothesized about why this is the case, and what, if anything should be done about this trend. This is a good opportunity to discuss cultural lens and Western societal values.
Recent research has started to question the belief that high teen pregnancy rates are problematic in Inuit communities the way that they are in Western societies. The reason for questioning assumptions is connected to the belief that children are burdensome, teen mothers will have greater economic adversity, and that career opportunities and community involvement could be diminished. While these assumptions appear to be true in non-Inuit populations, they are not necessarily true for women between the ages of 15-19 who get pregnant in Nunavut (Moisan et al., 2022).
Discussion questions:
In Arctic communities, what cultural, social, and environmental factors might contribute to teenage pregnancy being viewed differently than in other societies? Consider aspects like community structure, traditional family roles, subsistence practices, and access to healthcare, and discuss how these factors may shape unique perspectives on early parenthood.
What you’ll learn to do: describe the physical changes that occur during puberty and adolescence
Physical changes of puberty mark the onset of adolescence (Lerner & Steinberg, 2009). For both boys and girls, these changes include a growth spurt in height, growth of pubic and underarm hair, and skin changes (e.g., pimples). Boys also experience growth in facial hair and a deepening of their voice. Girls experience breast development and begin menstruating. These pubertal changes are driven by hormones, particularly an increase in testosterone for boys and estrogen for girls. The physical changes that occur during adolescence are greater than those of any other time of life, with the exception of infancy. In some ways, however, the changes in adolescence are more dramatic than those that occur in infancy—unlike infants, adolescents are aware of the changes that are taking place and of what the changes mean. In this section, you will learn about the pubertal changes in body size, proportions, and sexual maturity, the social and emotional attitudes and reactions toward puberty, and some of the health concerns during adolescence, including eating disorders.
Learning outcomes
- Describe pubertal changes in body size, proportions, and sexual maturity
- Explain social and emotional attitudes and reactions toward puberty, including sex differences
- Describe brain development during adolescence
- Describe health and sexual concerns during adolescence
- Discuss concerns associated with eating disorders
