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Adolescents and Puberty

University of People

EDUC 5420: Adolescent Development

Dr. Augustine Panchoo

September, 13th 2021

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Adolescence is the period between the beginning of sexual maturation (puberty) and

adulthood. This is a period of psychological maturation, in which a person becomes "adult-like" in

behavior. Adolescence is considered as the period between the ages of 13 and 19 years. Adolescents

experience not only physical growth and change, but also emotional, psychological, social, and

mental changes and growth (Puberty and adolescence, 2012). In this essay, the writer would like to

focus on the discussion on issues that adolescents may experience during puberty, how these issues

can affect adolescents; physical health, psychological adjustment (mental health), and academic

achievement, and how these changes will promote the development of student health and school

functioning from the writer's point of view as educators.

The developmental changes that occur during adolescence create a greater vulnerability to

emotional and behavioral dysregulation (Steinberg, 2005 as cited in Viner, 2017). Although

adolescents are physically relatively healthy compared to other age groups, adolescence is a key phase

of life for the formation of risk factors for some very aggravating diseases. The transition to early

adolescence is characterized by dramatic increases in morbidity and mortality, often associated with

impaired mental health, substance use, and the consequences of poor risk-taking and decision-making

(Blum and Nelson-Mmari, 2004; Williams, Holmbeck, and Greenley, 2002 as cited in 2017). There

are many issues in the transition from children to teenagers as they go through puberty. The two issues

that will be the focus of this essay are delayed puberty and gender dysphoria.

Delayed Puberty

Puberty and adolescence have a close relationship with each other whether it comes early, on

time or late but gives different effects for men and women. In a study conducted by Graber et al.

(2004) found that women who experienced precocious puberty had higher rates of a lifetime history

of the disorder concomitantly with an increase in current psychosocial symptoms compared to those

who experienced timely puberty. Whereas in males, it has a different effect on those who experience
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late puberty, which will increase the incidence of behavioural disorders and substance abuse during

the transition to adulthood (Graber et al., 2004).

Delayed puberty means puberty that occurs late. Physical signs of a child's sexual maturity do

not appear at 12 years of age in girls or age 14 in boys. These include growth of the breasts or testicles,

pubic hair, and voice changes which are better known as secondary sexual characteristics. Physically,

the sign of delayed puberty in girls is when adolescent girls whose breasts have not developed at the

age of 13 years and have not had menstruation at the age of 16 years. While in boys, the sign is when

a boy's testicles and penis have not enlarged, and the voice has not deepened and hair has not grown

in various places by the age of 16 years. These changes take a total of 3-4 years in most men (Pediatric

delayed puberty, n.d.).

Psychologically, delayed puberty can cause embarrassment and stress for the teenager because

he will find himself different from his peers around him. The Doctors (2013) shows us a fact about a

man who has never reached puberty. It really surprised the writer that at a glance we could see a tall

young man who looked mature. In fact, Brendan who is 26 years old has not yet experienced the stage

of maturity. By watching her sharing story, the writer realized that these are tough times for anyone

experiencing delayed puberty internally and externally. Internally as Brendan says he is trying to deal

with his condition on his own but externally he struggles to get a job or in social life among men his

age just because he still looks like a kid (The Doctors, 2013).

However, there is no clear evidence for the lasting psychosocial consequences of delayed

puberty in women but the timing of late puberty has been suggested to be associated with

psychological problems in men. Perceived late puberty timing in boys has been associated with higher

rates of depression in settings with high levels of peer stress, disruptive behavior disorders and drug

use in young adulthood, and depression and anxiety in later adulthood. A review of the psychological

outcomes associated with the timing of puberty in boys supports these findings and concludes that

the effects of late puberty appear to be limited to higher levels of internalizing symptoms (associated
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with depression or anxiety) and substance use in adolescence and young adulthood. Studies of

educational attainment in individuals with limited delayed puberty have reported poorer academic

performance during childhood and no difference or better performance during young adulthood

(Pediatric delayed puberty, n.d.).

In this situation, as educators, we can help with Brendan's situation by providing our students

with more information about each of their age-related states of sexual development so that they will

have an understanding and know how to respond if it happens to themselves or someone else. near

them. What we can remember is that most adolescents with delayed puberty will develop normally

and will not experience any lasting problems. Some causes require treatment with hormones.

Emotional support can help them deal with delayed puberty (Delayed puberty, n.d.).

Gender Dysphoria

Gender dysphoria refers to psychological distress resulting from a mismatch between the sex

assigned at birth and a person's gender identity. Although gender dysphoria often begins in childhood,

some people may not experience it until after puberty or later (What is gender dysphoria? 2020).

When a child or adolescent experiences gender dysphoria, it is certain that in the early stages he or

she will experience clinically significant stress or impairment in social, work, and other important

areas of life. Individuals who experience gender dysphoria may often express their desire to be of the

opposite sex. They often feel uncomfortable with the gender roles and gender expression of the sex

defined by their birth. The impact is not only on the psychological but also on the psychosocial. The

exact cause of gender dysphoria is not fully understood, but several different factors may play a role.

Genetics, hormonal influences during prenatal development, and environmental factors may be

involved (Cherry, 2021).

Cherry (2021), further explained that during the confusing or distressed stage of their gender

identity, they need to have counselling to help them feel more comfortable with their feelings, to
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assert their identity, and to help them cope with or reduce feelings of stress. This is very influential

on the psychology of adolescents who experience gender dysphoria also have a higher risk of

becoming victims of violence or bullying. Feelings of dysphoria combined with a lack of social

support can often contribute to mental stress and other problems. Some of the disorders associated

with people with gender dysphoria include depression, anxiety, substance abuse, self-harm, and other

mental health problems. Research also shows that people who have gender dysphoria have a higher

risk of dying by suicide than the general population. One study found that 48.3% of participants with

gender dysphoria had experienced suicidal ideation and 23.8% had attempted suicide at least once

(Garcia et al., 2018 as cited in Cherry, 2021).

In school situations, as educators, we can see signs of whether our students are experiencing

gender dysphoria when they exhibit some of the following: feeling strongly that their gender identity

is different from the gender they were born with or telling you that they are unsure. about their gender;

ask you to call them by different names and use different pronouns such as 'he', 'she' or 'they'; want

to remove physical signs of their gender or have a different gender – for example, your child may say

they want to use drugs to become more masculine or feminine, or they may start wearing clothes that

hide their body; showing signs of adolescent anxiety, especially in social situations; showing signs of

depression – for example, not wanting to participate in activities, especially gender-related activities,

such as sports; hurt yourself – for example, by scratching, cutting or biting yourself (Gender identity,

gender diversity and gender dysphoria: Children and teenagers, 2021).

Seeing the impact that gender dysphoria can have on adolescents themselves, we can support

students with gender dysphoria by showing that we love and accept them as they are and know them

for who they are. It's also good to talk to them about what they're going through. Some children do

experience gender dysphoria, especially if they experience bullying, stigma or discrimination at

school or elsewhere so the importance of sexual education and puberty in schools is very important

to happen. Teachers not only understand and know how to deal with these situations but also so that

students have the awareness not to cause chaos or worsen the situation when there are students who
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have problems with their pubertal development. As an educator, having sufficient knowledge about

psychological, physical and pubertal development in adolescents will help in dealing with the

problems that arise in them. Incorporating the science of puberty in the curriculum from an early age

will be necessary for students to recognize the changes that will occur in their bodies. This topic may

have been discussed starting from the 5th grade of elementary school considering that the puberty

period of children can start from the age of 11 and above.

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References

Cherry, K. (2021). What is gender dysphoria? Verywell

Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/gender-dysphoria-5085081

Delayed puberty. (n.d.). Stanford Children's Health - Lucile Packard Children's Hospital

Stanford. https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=delayed-puberty-90-

P01947

Gender identity, gender diversity and gender dysphoria: Children and teenagers. (2021, March 15).

Raising Children Network. https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/development/pre-teens-

gender-diversity-and-gender-dysphoria/gender-identity

Graber J. A., Seeley, J. R., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Lewinsohn, P. M. (2004). Is pubertal timing

associated with psychopathology in young adulthood? Journal of the American Academy of

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 718–726.

The Doctors. (2013, June 5). Twenty-seven year old man hasn’t reached puberty [Video].

YouTube.

What is gender dysphoria? (2020). Home │ psychiatry.org. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-

families/gender-dysphoria/what-is-gender-dysphoria

Pediatric delayed puberty. (n.d.). Children’s Health – Making Life Better for Children in

Texas. https://www.childrens.com/specialties-services/conditions/delayed-puberty

Puberty and adolescence. (2012, May 23). UF Health, University of Florida

Health. https://ufhealth.org/puberty-and-adolescence

Viner, R. M., Allen, N. B., & Patton, G. C. (2017, November 20). Puberty, developmental

processes, and health interventions - Child and adolescent health and development - NCBI

bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology

Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525269/