Chapter 4, Section 2: Adolescent Development

It is essential that staff working with adolescents be familiar with the process of adolescent development. This information should inform all work and program development for adolescents. This section focuses on adolescent development as it relates to what staff need to know in order to create age-appropriate programs. While this section provides a sampling of basic information, staff will benefit from finding materials that address the more specific needs of their particular adolescent population. Research indicates that positive growth is fostered in adolescents when the following components are part of their experience:

• Sense of industry and competency;
• Feeling of connectedness to others and to society;
• Belief in their control over their fate in life; and
• Stable identity (CSR Incorporated [Inc.], 1997).

Teen pregnancy prevention programs can provide all of these components. Such programs can be the cornerstones of positive adolescent development by asking teens to get involved in program design, by treating them with respect, and by providing them with a safe, supportive environment in which they can interact with others.

Especially in the field of teen pregnancy prevention, it is imperative to remember that with the onset of puberty, adolescents experience confusing new feelings (CSR Inc., 1997). Individuals who enter puberty much earlier or much later than their peers, may suffer ridicule, ostracism, or jealousy. Also on a physical level, the increase in sex hormones can create confusing and often distracting new feelings and interests.

Adolescents are also experiencing a neurological shift from concrete thinking to formal-logical thought (CSR Inc., 1997), and each adolescent makes this shift at a different pace. Prior to this shift individuals may have difficulty thinking casually and therefore, may be cognitively unable to consider how being pregnant might alter their lives.

For these reasons and others, program designers may want to consider separate groups for younger and older adolescents. Depending on the modality and subject matter of the group, if the resources are available (staff as well as space), separating adolescents who may still be experiencing the early stages of puberty and are less likely to be sexually active from those who are more physically, developmentally, and sexually mature may be beneficial for both groups. Research shows that there is a significant drop-off in program participation after early adolescence (Quinn, 1999; Smith, 2001), and older adolescents may be more likely to continue participating in programs that are tailored to their specific needs and interests.

Research Demonstrates

Although all adolescent groups have different needs, here are a few things staff should keep in mind.

• Not all adolescents are developmentally at the same place due to life experiences and personal differences (CSR Inc., 1997). Depending on an adolescent’s life experiences, different individuals may react very differently to the same situation. Ideally, a program for teens should help to create trusting adolescent-adult relationships and improve teens’ social skills, but these tasks must be geared to the developmental stage and individual capabilities of the adolescent.
• Even though adolescents may want to be treated like adults and are no longer children, they still require support, guidance, and boundaries for healthy development (Huebner, 1998). Adolescents derive a sense of safety from testing boundaries and seeing that those boundaries remain in place.
• Respond to the adolescent’s actual behavior, rather than preconceived ideas about “adolescent behavior” (CSR Inc., 1997). In this manner, adolescents learn they will be treated fairly based on their actions, which can increase their sense of control over their fate in life and of being able to affect their futures. This, in turn, can foster a sense of hope, even in situations over which the individual may have very little control.

Implementation Tips

• Identify your age group and tailor your program accordingly.
• Make sure your language, activities, and materials are age-appropriate.
• Remember that adolescents may be unpredictable in their behavior.