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Adolescence: A central event in shaping stress reactivity
Author(s) -
Romeo Russell D.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.20437
Subject(s) - stressor , psychology , reactivity (psychology) , anxiety , developmental psychology , vulnerability (computing) , juvenile , depression (economics) , organism , neuropsychology , clinical psychology , stress (linguistics) , cognition , psychiatry , medicine , economics , paleontology , alternative medicine , computer security , macroeconomics , pathology , biology , computer science , genetics , linguistics , philosophy
The magnitude and duration of the hormonal stress response change dramatically throughout an organism's lifespan. Although much is known about the factors that modulate stress reactivity during adulthood and how neonatal development and aging influence stress responsiveness, we know relatively little about how stress reactivity changes during the juvenile to adult transition. Recent studies in adolescent boys and girls have suggested that stress is an important factor contributing to an individual's vulnerability to various neuropsychological dysfunctions, including anxiety, depression, and drug abuse. Thus, understanding how exposure to stressors during this crucial period of development lead to negative consequences is of paramount importance. A growing body of literature indicates that pubertal organisms react differentially, both physiologically and behaviorally, to a stressor compared to adults. The purpose of this review, therefore, is to discuss the recent findings regarding the pubertal maturation of stress reactivity, while also highlighting future research directions that will aid in our understanding of stress and adolescent mental health and development. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 52: 244–253, 2010