The peak age of onset for many psychiatric disorders is adolescence, a time of remarkable physical and behavioural changes. The processes in the brain that underlie these behavioural changes have been the subject of recent investigations. What do we know about the maturation of the human brain during adolescence? Do structural changes in the cerebral cortex reflect synaptic pruning? Are increases in white-matter volume driven by myelination? Is the adolescent brain more or less sensitive to reward? Finding answers to these questions might enable us to further our understanding of mental health during adolescence.

Why do many psychiatric disorders emerge during adolescence

Theory and research on sex differences in adjustment focus largely on parental, societal, and biological influences. However, it also is important to consider how peers contribute to girls' and boys' development. This article provides a critical review of sex differences in several peer relationship processes, including behavioral and social-cognitive styles, stress and coping, and relationship provisions. The authors present a speculative peer-socialization model based on this review in which the implications of these sex differences for girls' and boys' emotional and behavioral development are considered. Central to this model is the idea that sex-linked relationship processes have costs and benefits for girls' and boys' adjustment. Finally, the authors present recent research testing certain model components and propose approaches for testing understudied aspects of the model.

A Review of Sex Differences in Peer Relationship Processes: Potential Trade-offs for the Emotional and Behavioral Development of Girls and Boys

Adolescence is a time of considerable development at the level of behaviour, cognition and the brain. This article reviews histological and brain imaging studies that have demonstrated specific changes in neural architecture during puberty and adolescence, outlining trajectories of grey and white matter development. The implications of brain development for executive functions and social cognition during puberty and adolescence are discussed. Changes at the level of the brain and cognition may map onto behaviours commonly associated with adolescence. Finally, possible applications for education and social policy are briefly considered.

Development of the adolescent brain: implications for executive function and social cognition.

Unbiased Average Age-Appropriate Atlases for Pediatric Studies

Research on the predictors of 3 bully status groups (bullies, victims, and bully victims) for school-age children and adolescents was synthesized using meta-analytic procedures. The primary purpose was to determine the relative strength of individual and contextual predictors to identify targets for prevention and intervention. Age and how bullying was measured were also considered as moderators. From an original pool of 1,622 studies conducted since 1970 (when research on bullying increased significantly), 153 studies were identified that met criteria for inclusion. A number of common and unique predictors were found for the bully status groups. The implications of the meta-analytic findings for future research on bullying and victimization prevention and intervention are discussed.

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Predictors of Bullying and Victimization in Childhood and Adolescence: A Meta-analytic Investigation

Puberty is a central process in the complex set of changes that constitutes the transition from childhood to adolescence. Research on the role of pubertal change in this transition has been impeded by the difficulty of assessing puberty in ways acceptable to young adolescents and others involved. Addressing this problem, this paper describes and presents norms for a selfreport measure of pubertal status. The measure was used twice annually over a period of three years in a longitudinal study of 335 young adolescent boys and girls. Data on a longitudinal subsample of 253 subjects are reported. The scale shows good reliability, as indicated by coefficient alpha. In addition, several sources of data suggest that these reports are valid. The availability of such a measure is important for studies, such as those based in schools, in which more direct measures of puberty may not be possible.

A self-report measure of pubertal status: Reliability, validity, and initial norms.

In an earlier study of an epidemiologically defined sample of first grade children, primarily between the ages of 5 and 6, self-reported anxious symptoms proved relatively stable and were significantly related to adaptive functioning. In the present study we follow that cohort of first graders longitudinally and assess the prognostic value of self-reports of anxious symptoms in first grade with respect to anxious symptoms and adaptive functioning in the late elementary school years or at about age 10. First grade anxious symptoms were found to have significant prognostic value in terms of levels of anxious symptoms and adaptive functioning in fifth grade.

The Significance of Self‐Reported Anxious Symptoms in First Grade Children: Prediction to Anxious Symptoms and Adaptive Functioning in Fifth Grade

Perceptions of peer relationships were assessed in a sample of 335 boys and girls followed longitudinally from sixth through eighth grade. Semiannual interviews provided data on perceptions of the ...

Perceptions of the Peer Group and Friendship in Early Adolescence

Prior research has pointed to several distinct processes that may affect the timing of first intercourse among adolescents. In the present study, the role of six hypothesized processes was assessed in a sample of 289 rural adolescent boys and girls. Results support the importance of family socialization and problem-behavior for both sexes, the role of biological factors for boys, and the role of social control processes for girls. Two other hypothesized influences—social class and poor psychosocial adjustment—were not supported in either gender. These results indicate that multiple processes influence the timing of first intercourse; thus, they underscore the need for eclectic predictive models that incorporate the multiplicity of influences.

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Timing of First Sexual Intercourse: The Role of Social Control, Social Learning, and Problem Behavior

The aim of this investigation was to determine the impact of the timing and number of school transitions on young adolescents' subsequent adjustment. Three groups of adolescents (total N = 253) were compared: those making a single early school transition prior to sixth grade, those making a single later transition prior to seventh grade, and those making a double transition prior to both sixth and seventh grades. Adjustment was assessed in terms of course grades and self-image. Negative effects were found for both early and repeated school transitions, with the double transition being especially debilitating. In addition, effects were seen primarily with course grades. Few gender differences were observed in the response to early and double transitions, but those that emerged suggest that girls may be more adversely affected than boys.

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Lisa J. Crockett

Papers

A self-report measure of pubertal status: Reliability, validity, and initial norms.

The Significance of Self‐Reported Anxious Symptoms in First Grade Children: Prediction to Anxious Symptoms and Adaptive Functioning in Fifth Grade

Perceptions of the Peer Group and Friendship in Early Adolescence

Timing of First Sexual Intercourse: The Role of Social Control, Social Learning, and Problem Behavior

School Transitions and Adjustment During Early Adolescence