Adolescence refers to the period of physical and psychological development between childhood and adulthood. The beginning of adolescence is loosely anchored to the onset of puberty, which brings dramatic alterations in hormone levels and a number of consequent physical changes. Puberty onset is also associated with profound changes in drives, motivations, psychology, and social life; these chan...

The concept of adolescence was developed in the United States between 1890 and 1920. In the hands of G. Stanley Hall and his many followers, adolescence required a moratorium on the assumption of adult responsibilities by teenagers. This prescription of a moratorium broke sharply with the advice given to youth in the 19th century, which urged the quick assumption of adult responsibilities. Alth...

American youth are more prone to storm and stress during adolescence than are Chinese youth (e.g., American youth's engagement in school declines more). However, it is unclear why. This research examined differences in conceptions of adolescence in the United States and China. Using both open- and closed-ended measures, youth (N = 397; 50 % female; mean age = 13.19 years) reported on their view...

Background: Adolescents health status is a cumulative effect of the health and nutritional problems occurring during early childhood as well those originating in period of adolescence. Objectives: To determine nutrition and health status of adolescents using body mass index, dental caries and visual acuity and the relationship between BMI, gender, age and period of adolescence. Methods: In 2009...

BACKGROUND Although research has suggested that extensive television viewing may be associated with sleep problems, the direction of this association has not yet been determined. OBJECTIVE To investigate directional hypotheses regarding the association between television viewing and sleep problems during adolescence and early adulthood. DESIGN The Children in the Community Study, a prospect...

Recent evidence implicates adult hippocampal neurogenesis in regulating behavioral and physiologic responses to stress. Hippocampal neurogenesis occurs across the lifespan, however the rate of cell birth is up to 300% higher in adolescent mice compared to adults. Adolescence is a sensitive period in development where emotional circuitry and stress reactivity undergo plasticity establishing life...

Adolescence is a crucial period for the development of adaptive emotion regulation strategies. Despite the fact that structural maturation of the prefrontal cortex during adolescence is often assumed to underlie the maturation of emotion regulation strategies, no longitudinal studies have directly assessed this relationship. This study examined whether use of cognitive reappraisal strategies du...

Adolescence is a period during which many social behaviors emerge. One such behavior, flank marking, is a testosterone-modulated scent marking behavior that communicates dominance status between adult male Syrian hamsters. Testosterone modulates flank-marking behavior by altering neural transmission of vasopressin within a forebrain circuit. This study tested whether testicular hormones secrete...

Cannabis use has been found to stimulate appetite and potentially promote weight gain via activation of the endocannabinoid system. Despite the fact that the onset of cannabis use is typically during adolescence, the association between adolescence cannabis use and long-term change in body weight is generally unknown. This study aims to examine the association between adolescence cannabis use a...

Researchers know relatively little about the educational attainment of sexual minorities, despite the fact that educational attainment is consistently associated with a range of social, economic, and health outcomes. We examined whether sexual attraction in adolescence and early adulthood was associated with educational attainment in early adulthood among a nationally representative sample of U...