Developmental Tasks Of Adolescence Research Articles

Adolescents Born with Spina Bifida: Experiential Worlds and Biopsychosocial Developmental Challenges

The author used phenomenological (interpretive) ethnography to investigate the experience of physical disability and its attached meanings in relation to self, world, and other for adolescents born with spina bifida. Multiple in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 late-stage adolescents (aged 18–24 years). Analysis of their narrative accounts illustrated commonalities with respect to the biopsychosocial impact of living with the physical disability of spina bifida. The theme, “Experiencing self as dissimilar other” is reported upon. Findings imply that youth born with spina bifida face biological, psychological, and social challenges that might interfere with normative developmental tasks of adolescence, including identity formation. Greater emphasis needs to be directed toward humanizing and emancipating the physical and social environment for youth with physical disabilities to maximize developmental opportunities and potential while fostering positive identity.

How do parents perceive their adolescent's diabetes: a qualitative study

The developmental tasks of adolescence, combined with physical changes, can interfere with self-management behaviour. Yet little is known about how parents view these challenges as they attempt to help their children cope with diabetes. Our objective was to understand how living with an adolescent with diabetes influences parents' perceptions of their child's well-being, their relationship with their child, and how they perceive the influence of peers and school on their child's diabetes. Twenty-eight parents of adolescents with Type 1 diabetes, aged 13-18 years, participated in focus groups. Transcripts were analysed using qualitative methods to determine dominant themes and incidence density. Themes included how diabetes negatively influences their adolescent's lifestyle, how diabetes makes it difficult for parents to understand developmental challenges experienced by their child, concerns regarding the potential to develop long-term complications, perceptions on how diabetes impacts on their relationship with their child and relationships with peers and how their children's school impacts on their diabetes self-management This qualitative focus group study provides insight into parental perceptions of adolescents living with Type 1 diabetes, specifically as it relates to lifestyle implications, relationships with parents, peers and physicians, and school experiences.

003–Self-Selected Distraction for Adolescents Experiencing Acute Procedural Pain: An Intervention Feasibility Study

Purpose: This study pilot-tested the effect of self-selected distraction, a cognitive–behavioral intervention based on adolescent developmental tasks of choice and control, on acute pain in adolescents undergoing allergy skin testing. It is believed to be the first study to explore a nonpharmacological intervention during allergy testing—an important step in diagnosing allergies and asthma. The incidence of both has been increasing dramatically over the past two decades.

Friendship group identification, multidimensional self-concept, and experience of developmental tasks in adolescence

This study applied a social identity perspective to the study of adolescent self-concept and social development. British adolescents aged 14–15 years ( N = 114 ) completed a questionnaire which asked them to: (i) rate their degree of identification with a school-based friendship group; (ii) complete a measure of multi-dimensional self-concept; and (iii) report their experiences of a variety of personal, relational and socio-institutional (e.g., achieving economic independence) developmental tasks. Compared to low identifiers, participants who were highly identified with a friendship group reported highest levels of self-esteem; and these differences were most marked in non-academic domains of self. High identifiers also displayed higher levels of general self-esteem and reported more positive experiences of personal and relational developmental tasks. The discussion focuses on the potential benefits to understanding of social developmental processes that can be derived from a consideration of adolescents’ subjective appraisals of their peer relations.

Adjusting Cognitive Behavior Therapy For Adolescents With Bulimia Nervosa: Results Of Case Series

This article reviews the types of adjustments needed to an adult protocol of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for bulimia nervosa (BN) to make it more acceptable to an adolescent population. Employing developmental principles as well as clinical experience as guidelines, these modifications include the involvement of parents, recognition of the interaction of treatment with normal adolescent developmental tasks, and allowances for typical cognitive and emotional immaturity on treatment procedures. Outcomes from a series of adolescents with BN who were treated with this modified-CBT approach show results similar to those expected in adult populations treated using CBT.

Changes in Discrepancies Between Desired and Present States of Developmental Tasks in Adolescence: A 4-Process Model

Individuals direct their own development by setting developmental goals and striving for goal attainment. Human development includes reductions in discrepancies between desired and actual states, as is the case in goal attainment and reduction of aspirations, as well as increases of discrepancies, for example, when individuals increase their aspirations or face setbacks. The present study analyzed how ways of changing discrepancies between desired and actual states of solving developmental tasks relate to changes in adolescents' self-esteem across a 2-year period. With regard to discrepancy-reducing processes we found that increases in goal attainment were associated with increased self-esteem whereas reductions of aspirations were not systematically associated with self-esteem change. With regard to discrepancy-producing processes, diminishing of the present state was consistently associated with declines in self-esteem, whereas increases in aspirations showed inconsistent associations with self-esteem changes. The results indicate similarities and differences between developmental regulation in adolescence and adulthood.

The Psychological Functions of Music in Adolescence

The article presents a theoretical model of the psychological functions of music in adolescence. The model is a categorization of the psychological goals that direct and give meaning to musical activities in everyday life. It is based on the developmental tasks of adolescence and finds support from a wide range of studies from several disciplines. It consists of four categories: interpersonal relationships, identity, agency, and emotional field, which represent different areas of psychological functions that can be supported by engaging in music. Through promoting the satisfaction of these psychological aims music contributes substantially to adolescent development and mental health.

Reasons to invest in adolescents

Purpose To discuss the frequent failure of the United States (and other countries) to make the types of investment in youth that would increase the future prospects of youth from high-risk backgrounds. I argue that these investments are worth making, and describe the types of research and knowledge dissemination that will be necessary to promote such investments Approach I begin with a framework for thinking about and working with adolescents. I review theories of youth development, the developmental tasks of adolescence, risk and resilience, and the strong tendency of current approaches to address single problems and symptoms rather than underlying conditions. A conceptual framework is presented that combines known elements of risk and protective factors, such as antecedents, system markers of current or potential difficulties, risk behaviors, and outcomes. I briefly review what we know about youth risk behavior and outcomes in various domains, including combined prevalence and patterning. I then examine what we know about the payoffs that we can expect from investing in activities that promote adolescent health. I end with a set of recommendations for researchers and practitioners, and discuss the information that they need to put these recommendations into practice.

High School Journalists' Perspectives on Tobacco

How issues are covered in the media is an important factor in influencing public opinion, policy, and individual behavior. During the 1990s, the tobacco control movement developed a youth focus, prompted by research showing that most adult smokers begin tobacco use as teens. However, concern has been raised that this youth focus has derailed the overall goal of achieving a smoke-free society. Numerous studies have analyzed tobacco coverage and documented the impacts of media messages on youth. To learn how tobacco is covered in a medium primarily produced by and for youth, we conducted an analysis of tobacco coverage in high school newspapers. High school newspapers, like other media, communicate social messages through both content selection and framing. We surveyed a national sample of high school journalists and conducted content and frames analyses of tobacco articles (n = 257) from their publications. The most commonly used frame was "kids" (46%), followed by "killer" (31 %), "nonsmokers' rights" (10%), and "choice" (5%). "Kids"-framed articles were less likely to mention health effects and less likely to be favorable toward tobacco control policies than "killer"-framed articles. In addition, many "kids" articles included "resistance statements" congruent with viewing tobacco use as rebellion and / or independence. Lack of a consistently used frame has been identified as a barrier to effective tobacco control. Tobacco control media advocacy should focus on developing frames that are easily communicated, consistently used, and compatible with the developmental tasks of adolescents. Youth journalists should also be included in media advocacy efforts.

Why should young adults read Holocaust literature anyway?

Young people continue to read Holocaust literature more than fifty years after the events took place. Why does this literature still hold such fascination for many adolescents? This article examines important developmental tasks of adolescents; achieving independence, coming to terms with their bodies, establishing new relationships with age mates of both genders, gaining social and economic status, and acquiring self‐confidence and a system of values. The author discusses three types of Holocaust literature, historical fiction, memoirs, and diaries, and relates the developmental tasks to themes in the literature.

Somatically expressed psychological distress and alexithymia in adolescence reflecting unbearable emotions?

The characteristics of five 11- to 15-year-old patients with somatic symptoms and alexithymia in conjunction with psychological distress are reported. The findings are compared with the existing literature. Preceding somatic disorders and difficulties at school and in peer relationships were found. Family violence was evident in two cases. We postulate that the developmental tasks of adolescence were complicated by the threat of disability, disease, and death. The parents were incapable of expressing their feelings either in general or because of their recent traumatic experiences. Our findings suggest that unbearable emotions often precede the combination of preadolescent and adolescent alexithymia and somatization in clinically relevant cases.

TEACHING FREUD TO UNDERGRADUATES: A CASE REPORT

The authors describe their experience teaching 'The Writings of Sigmund Freud' to undergraduates at Columbia College over a three-year period. The course focused on Freud's developing theory of the mind, his application of psychoanalytic theory to the study of culture, and the autobiographical and historical context in which the texts were written. The students entered the course intrigued by the controversy surrounding Freud. They immersed themselves in the intellectual task of understanding Freud's work while at the same time discovering its power to speak directly to their personal concerns. The students found in Freud a companion in the search for personal meaning in the 'great books' of the western canon. At a deeper level, they found in Freud an ally in the drama of coming-of-age, experienced in terms of separation and loss, concerns about normality and sexuality, the quest for autonomy and the search for identity. While interested in Freud's ideas about infantile sexuality, for the most part, they rejected the concept of the Oedipus complex. The authors present excerpts from the students' written work and classroom discussion. Their responses are explored in relation to the developmental tasks of adolescence.

School relocation and stress in teens.

Geographical relocation, with transfer to a new school, is a life transition experienced by many adolescents. The normal developmental tasks of adolescence may complicate the transition for relocated teens, particularly those with inadequate coping skills. This 2-year study, conducted in an upper-middle-income suburban community in the Northeast, with highly mobile students, compared the effects of relocation on 43 teens with matched non-relocated controls. While statistical significance was found in differences between the relocated and non-relocated groups, the relocated teens were only mildly anxious. There were no significant differences between the groups for depression, hostility, life events, or coping. Implications for schools and school nursing regarding health promotion interventions with relocated adolescents are discussed.

Psychosocial Development during Adolescence: Progress in Developmental Contextualism

Adams, Gerald R., Montemayor, Raymond, and Gullota, Thomas (Eds.). (1996). Psychosocial Development During Adolescence: Progress in Developmental Contextualism. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 322 pages. Paperback ISBN 0-7619-0533-2. This edition of the Advances in Adolescent Development series focuses on the developmental contextual perspective. This edited book has several aims. Given an expanding interest in approaching adolescence from a developmental contextualist frame work, the editor chooses to focus on the work of John Hill and review the history and progress from Hill's pivotal statements in 1973 to the present. We are also provided a comprehensive discussion of developmental tasks in adolescence based on Hill's proposal to explore these tasks from a bio-psychosocial perspective. Finally, the book describes the unfolding research agendas in studying psychosocial development in adolescence from the developmental contextualist perspective outlined by Hill. Psychosocial Development During Adolescence is organized into an introductory chapter on the legacy of John Hill; seven major chapters, each covering one major psychosocial theme in adolescent development, such as autonomy, intimacy, and identity; and a concluding chapter reflecting past and future use of the developmental contextualism perspective on the study of adolescence. The introduction to the legacy of John Hill is valuable for zeroing in on the developmental contextual perspective. Hill advocated the centrality of psychosocial variables in the study of normal development in adolescence. He also identified bio-psychosocial factors (such as puberty, cognition, or self-definition), and contextual factors (such as gender, race-ethnicity, and social class) as important determinants of adolescent behavior. Hill's influence in identifying intimacy, detachment-autonomy, sexuality, achievement, and identity as the main psychosocial themes in adolescent development is evidenced by the vast array of work from the developmental-contextualist perspective that currently dominates the field. The introductory chapters lay the foundation for subsequent chapters by articulating Hill's ecological theory of adolescent development, which focuses on associations between the person and the situation throughout the life course. The editors offer their historical perspective on Hill as one method of addressing the vast complexity of the discipline and the possibility of seeing how various ideas, methodologies, and theories are related. Chapter two begins with a brief discussion on adolescent autonomy, followed by a more comprehensive presentation of the debate over the adaptive value of emotional distance (detachment) from parents during adolescence. The authors also discuss parent-- adolescent relationships in the context of promoting individuality versus maintenance of emotional connection, reviewing numerous studies on the value of opportunities for decision making in the family context. The last section of this chapter considers the restricted legal rights of adolescents in conjunction with the empirical work that calls these self-governing restrictions into question. In Chapter three, the reader is presented with the most compelling topics and recent trends in adolescent sexuality, such as pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual violence. The authors note the struggle that researchers face in attempting to address the topic of sexuality amidst problem-focused agendas and varying social perceptions surrounding adolescent sexual behavior. The presentation of trends in sexual behavior is followed by a review of key findings on sexual development, including sexual identity formation, behavior patterns, and aberrant sexual experiences. A lucid discussion of the differences between trends and developmental sequences helps the reader distinguish between social change and perceptions of sexual deviance in adolescence. Of significance in this chapter, the authors claim that because comparatively little research exists on noncoital behaviors (i. …

Maltreated Adolescents

The authors review literature on the developmental tasks of adolescence and the unique problems faced by adolescent victims of maltreatment. The developmental domains addressed include cognition, identity, behavior and affect regulation, family and peer relationships, and sexuality. Research on the co-occurrence of multiple types of victimization is discussed. The relationship between multiple victimization and violent crime, with a focus on parricide, is examined. The authors call for greater attention to the assessment and study of multiple forms of maltreatment and its outcomes in adolescence, since adolescence is one of the least researched developmental periods in terms of single or multiple victimization.

Addressing Developmental Needs of Pregnant Adolescents

To appropriately meet the needs of pregnant adolescents, health care providers must evaluate the cognitive and psychosocial development of these clients. Differences in early, middle, and late adolescents who are pregnant are described. The impact of adolescent stages on accomplishing the developmental tasks of pregnancy are discussed. Nursing implications for assessment, communication techniques, teaching strategies, and family interventions are presented. A case study is included.

The Behavioral and Emotional Reactivity Index: Preliminary Evidence for Construct Validity from Three Studies

The purpose of this article is to introduce a new instrument: Behavioral/Emotional Reactivity Index (BERI). The goal in creation of BERI was to provide a means of assessing a critical aspect of individuation process-how young adults behaviorally respond to emotion-evoking situations that evolve out of their relationships with their parents. The assessment of this aspect appears to be missing in existing installments designed to tap individuation. The present article reports results of three studies that provide preliminary evidence for reliability and construct validity of this instrument. The conceptual foundation of BERI The BERI's conceptual foundation is based on importance of individuation process as a developmental task for adolescents and young adults. The individuation process is considered cornerstone of development that allows adolescents to assume adult roles and responsibilities (Allison & Sabatelli, 1988; Josselson, 1988). Individuation has been defined as a developmental process through which one comes to see oneself as separate and distinct within one's relational (familial, social, cultural) context (Karpel, 1976). The degree to which individuation has occurred is degree to which person no longer experiences him/herself as fusing with others in personal relationships. Defining characteristics of fusion include: dissolving of ego boundaries between self and other, inability to establish an I within a we, a high degree of identification with others, and dependence on others (Anderson & Sabatelli, 1990; Karpel, 1976; Sabatelli & Mazor, 1985). Individuation is a process through which individuals develop ability to act autonomously while remaining emotionally connected to significant others (Anderson & Sabatelli, 1990; Josselson, 1988; Karpel, 1976; Sabatelli & Mazor, 1985; Shapiro, 1988). When conceived of in this way, individuation concept has much in common with Bowen's (1978) notion of self-differentiation and Williamson's (1982) concept of personal authority in family system. Bowen (1978), for example, identifies two aspects of differentiation of self. The first aspect is differentiation of emotional from intellectual functioning within self and degree of choice one has over which type of functioning will govern one's behavior. The higher differentiation of self, greater capacity to be in close emotional contact with significant others without having one's thinking, emotions, and behavior governed by seemingly involuntary reactions to those relationships or by accompanying emotional environment; Friedman, 1991; Kerr, 1984). The second aspect is described as the process by which individuality and togetherness are managed by a person and within a relationship O(err & Bowen, 1988; p. 95). Within this view, higher levels of self differentiation do not only lead to increased individuality, but also to the ability to allow togetherness [which] urges free rein (Kerr & Bowen, 1988, p. 95). Williamson's (1982) concept of personal authority in family system is even more explicitly defined as synthesis of separateness and connectedness. This concept refers to the achievement of peerlike intimacy in interactions with all persons, including parents, while also maintaining an individuated stance (Harvey & Bray, 1991, p. 300). What characterizes personal authority, then, is ability to develop and maintain a coherent sense of self while being emotionally involved with others, that is, ability to interact with intimate others without becoming fused, dependent, or over-identified with them. The Individuation Process and Emotional/Behavioral Reactivity The individuation process during adolescence and early adulthood requires a reworking of parent/child relationship (Allison & Sabatelli, 1988; Youniss, 1983). Adolescents must alter their lingering financial and functional dependencies on their families if they are to succeed at managing demands of adult roles and responsibilities off. …

Care of the adolescent undergoing an allograft procedure

During the last 25 years, substantial progress has been made in the detection and treatment of bone tumors in adolescents and young adults. Due to more effective chemotherapy treatments, patients are now surviving these illnesses and living quality lives. In the past, the only surgical option for treatment of these tumors was amputation. Today, however, limb-sparing procedures such as allograft implantation, together with effective chemotherapy treatments, provide patients with another treatment option. The allograft procedure includes removing the tumor and affected bone and replacing it with bone procured from deceased donors. During the following 2 years, the body does the work of incorporating the allograft and replacing it, at least in part, with new host bone. After a long rehabilitation process, the patient will have a functioning limb. Nursing care of the adolescent undergoing allograft procedure encompasses meeting important physical and psychosocial needs. Adolescents are often still dealing with the emotional and physical stress of having cancer and chemotherapy or chemotherapy side effects at the time of surgery. They are concerned not only with their immediate recovery but also with their long-term prognosis. All treatment modalities, including allograft surgery, impinges on the normal developmental tasks of adolescents. The nursing challenge is to help the adolescent balance the limits of their illness and recovery with normal developmental needs.

Adolescent Adjustment and Stepparenting Styles

The discovery that adolescents in stepfamilies experience higher rates of negative outcomes than adolescents in nuclear families has generated interest in how the stepparenting process may affect adolescent development. Research comparing adjustment problems in adolescents from nuclear families versus stepfamilies has found less complete socialization and lower educational expectations and attainments in adolescents in stepfamilies (Astone & McLanahan, 1991; Dornbusch et al., 1985; Furstenberg, 1987; Hetherington, 1993; Hetherington & Clingempeel, 1992; Thomson, McLanahan & Curtin, 1992). The combination of normal adolescent developmental tasks and the complexities of stepfamily life may put these adolescents at particular risk. However, many adolescents are well adjusted and develop normally in stepfamilies. How might this variability in adolescent outcomes be related to stepparenting? Historically, research on stepparenting has focused on the ambiguity of role definitions for stepparents (Cherlin, 1978; Fine, Kurdek, & Hennigen, 1991; Giles-Sims, 1984). More recently, interest in specific parental behaviors in stepfamilies has come to the fore (Fine, Voydanoff, & Donnelly, 1993), but the best role definition for stepparents, particularly for stepparents of adolescents, is still in question. In the present research, we adapted a theoretical model of parenting styles for use with stepparents and then tested the relationships between stepparenting styles and adolescent adjustment. Based on the results, recommendations for family life educators, family therapists, and stepfamily members are made. THEORETICAL MODELS OF PARENTING STYLES Since the seminal work of Sears, Maccoby, and Levin (1957), most theories of parenting, including Baumrind (1971), have focused on the additive effects of dimensions of parental behavior (Kurdek & Fine, 1994). The two major dimensions are support (including warmth, acceptance, and nurturance) and control (including supervision and discipline) (Barber Rollins, 1990; Peterson & Rollins, 1987). Combining high versus low levels of these two dimensions distinguishes four parenting styles: Authoritarian-autocratic, Authoritative-reciprocal, Permissive-indulgent, and Indifferent-uninvolved (Macoby & Manin, 1983). Baumrind's (1971) original model had not differentiated between these last two styles, but in later work these styles were differentiated. Surprisingly, most studies of parenting styles and adolescent outcomes have focused on single dimensions of parenting, despite the acceptance of additive models. Recently, Baumrind (1991) and Lamborn, Mounts, Steinberg, and Dornbusch (1991) did use the four styles, additive model to study adolescents and their parents. Both studies identified the Authoritative parenting style as the most conducive and the Indifferent style as the least conducive for adolescent well-being. This model needs to be adapted to apply to stepparents. Baumrind (1971) and others, reviewed in Maccoby and Martin (1983) and Peterson and Rollins (1987), created their models for biological parents; assumptions about the legal and moral responsibilities of biological parents underlie the labels given to the four styles, specifically that parents are supposed to be actively involved in both the support and control dimensions of parenting. The same assumptions cannot be made about stepparents. The law does not hold stepparents responsible for either dimension of parenting, or for the behavior of their stepchildren. Also, there is wide variation between and within families in beliefs about the moral and behavioral responsibilities of being a stepparent; these range from believing that stepparents have no obligation to parent to believing that they are morally responsible to help rear their stepchildren. Therefore, the less active parenting styles (i.e., Permissive-indulgent and Indifferent-uninvolved) may be not only more common and more appropriate, but these more laissez-faire types of parenting behaviors should have a less negative label when applied to step parents. …

The impact of divorce on adolescents.

A consensus that divorce constitutes a major disruption and disequilibrium in the lives of nearly all children is emerging. Reactions vary at different developmental stages. Divorce poses a very specific hazard to the normal adolescent process of emancipation from primary love objects. The author reviews recent research on the short-and long-term effects of parental divorce on adolescents, with special reference to adolescent developmental tasks. Treatment based on a psychoanalytic developmental perspective combined with a family systems approach is recommended. Careful attention should be paid to the gender of the therapist and the adolescent's developmental stage. Therapeutic modalities include individual and group therapy with the adolescent and conjoint therapy with the custodial parent, the single-parent family, and the noncustodial parent. The major goals of psychotherapeutic intervention with adolescents in divorced families are outlined.