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Puberty is much more than just a period of biological saturation, propelled by badual maturation. Advances in developmental science have considerably broadened the perspective of this crucial stage of maturation.
"We went beyond the idea that puberty is a raging hormone," said Carol Worthman, professor of anthropology at Emory University. "Major advances in the understanding of brain development clearly show that sociological and psychological impacts during puberty are as important as hormones."
Worthman says that as the main author of a new article, it is now necessary to integrate this understanding into more comprehensive research models. the Journal of Research on Adolescence published the paper, which reviews key theories and methods relevant to puberty studies.
"Puberty was once considered the biological process of adolescent development and adolescence was considered the cultural process," said Worthman. "We want to educate the public that looking for bracketed media in this way is no longer a useful approach."
For decades, researchers have focused on improving the health of infants and children, resulting in a substantial decline in infant mortality worldwide.
While babies and children are labeled as cute and positive, full of possibilities, teens are more often seen as problems. According to Worthman, they have generally been less studied, although the second decade of life is a critical period during which the risks of developing mental illness, addiction and escalation of injuries increase. And what happens at puberty, she adds, has an impact on health and well-being throughout life.
The global population is now overrun by young people aged 10 to 19, who today account for more than 1.2 billion people, or 17% of humanity. These young people are facing their journey towards adulthood as part of mbadive and rapid social transformations.
"Because of the global slowdown in fertility, it is probably the largest cohort of young people we will ever see," Worthman said. "If we really want to help teenagers reach their full potential, the time has come."
In his own research, Worthman uses a biocultural approach to conduct comparative interdisciplinary research on human development. Samatha Dockray, co-author of the article from University College Cork, is studying the psychobiological mechanisms to understand their effects on adolescent health and behavior. The third co-author, Kristine Marceau of Purdue University, integrates developmental research with genetics, prenatal risk, neuroendocrine development and the family environment.
The paper describes minimally invasive methods for studying different aspects of puberty. For example, haircuts and nails can be used to track stress levels and hormones over time. Changes in the microbiome, immune function, and brain are other critical aspects of puberty that can be measured, as well as cognitive, behavioral, and ecological contexts.
"By taking advantage of new methods and working within interdisciplinary teams, development scientists can explore more issues related to adolescent development and well-being in a more integrated way," said Worthman.
The report is part of a special section on puberty published by the Journal of Research on Adolescence. Topics include the emerging genetically and environmentally complexities of puberty, the role of puberty in brain development, the impact of puberty on lifelong health and well-being and the need to explore puberty in poorly studied populations.
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