Adolescence is a transitional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood. According to the World Health Organization, an adolescent is anyone between the ages of 10 and 19 years.

Recognising adolescence as a distinct stage in human development is a relatively recent concept, typically traced back to a landmark study in 1904 by American psychologist G. Stanley Hall. Hall described this as a new developmental phase that came about due to social changes at the turn of the 20th century, especially with the promotion of universal education for young people and laws against child labour. Prior to this, people were viewed as either children or adults.

Undoing longstanding stereotypes about adolescence

Hall did not have a particularly positive view of adolescents, viewing them as having mood disruptions, conflict with parents and risky behaviour. Unfortunately, these negative stereotypes of adolescents continue to be widely believed today.

Seeking to present an innovative approach to working with youth, the Psychology Service and medical professionals from KKH, and clinical psychologists from James Cook University (Singapore Campus), embarked on a joint project titled the Temasek Foundation Youth Connect Programme.

Central to Youth Connect is a process-based approach to therapy, which involves de-medicalising treatment of emotional and behavioural problems in youth, and focusing on teaching them adaptive and transferable skills to use when faced with difficulties.

A significant departure from the former approach of using specific protocols to target supposed psychiatric syndromes, Youth Connect focuses on skills training for youth, rather than searching for a disease to treat.

At the heart of the programme is training school counsellors and mental health workers in community settings with this new approach to working with youth.

Addressing misconceptions about youth’s mood and relationships

In keeping with this approach, we debunk three common myths about the ‘dis-ease’ of adolescence below.

Myth 1: Significant mood disruptions in adolescence are “inevitable”

Are teens really more moody than children or adults, and are their emotional fluctuations inevitable? These stereotypes are widespread among adults, the media and even adolescents themselves. A serious difficulty resulting from the belief that adolescents are ‘moody’ is that adults and teens may be discouraged from addressing serious emotional difficulties that sometimes arise amidst this life stage. Parents who are most likely to believe that adolescence is characterised by moodiness, are less likely to respond when their child has a genuine need.

Research suggests that many adolescents experience emotions more intensely than children and adults. However, data also suggest that adolescents are adept at regulating their emotions, with the vast majority competent with a wide array of coping skills that were developed before adolescence, and continue to be efficacious throughout the teenage years.

While we acknowledge that the risk of depression is higher among adolescents than children, and suicide is currently a leading cause of death in youth aged 15 to 24 years, it is critical to note that depression and suicide represent extreme levels of difficulty that do not afflict most, let alone all, adolescents. In fact, the vast majority of adolescents report few or no symptoms of depression, and never have suicidal thoughts.

Myth 2: Boys only use “sticks and stones” to hurt while girls use “words” instead

The old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, draws a distinction between physical (“sticks and stones”) and verbal (words) aggression.

Two myths are associated with this saying: (1) Boys tend to bully physically and girls verbally, and (2) physical bullying is more harmful than verbal. Having adults continue to believe these myths can have a strong negative impact on the welfare of youth.

Society often views indirect, verbal or relational aggression as mostly used by girls, with boys tending to only use physical aggression to bully. However, a considerable amount of research shows that while boys are more likely to be physically aggressive than girls, when it comes to relational aggression, there is no meaningful difference between boys and girls.

Thus, boys and girls are highly similar when it comes to displaying relational aggression such as teasing, spreading rumours, social exclusion and other similar behaviour. While boys tend to be more physically aggressive than girls, boys and girls are about equal in their levels of cyberbullying or relational aggression.

Myth 3: Teens only listen to their peers

It is true that adolescents tend to spend less time with their parents than they did as children, and they tend to rely more on their friends for advice on certain topics. However, research shows they do not stop listening to their parents altogether.

In a study, teens were asked who they would prefer to discuss certain topics with, and their answer differed depending on the topic. They preferred to discuss topics related to sex with their friends, but still saw their parents as the best source for advice on topics related to school and their career goals.

Reference

1. Jewell J. D., Axelrod, M. I., Prinstein, M. J., & Hupp, S. (2018). Great myths of adolescence. Wiley-Blackwell. Great Myths of Adolescence | Wiley

Dr Nigel V. Marsh, Professor of Clinical Psychology, James Cook University (Singapore Campus) Professor Nigel Marsh is a New Zealand-trained clinical psychologist. He has held academic appointments in Clinical Psychology in Australia, Lebanon, Malaysia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The majority of his research publications deal with the assessment of the psychosocial consequences of traumatic injuries or chronic illness for both the individual and their familial caregivers. He has conducted research across the life span with published studies on age groups ranging from infants to older adults. He has also published studies on non-clinical groups, primarily in the area of occupational health psychology. Since 2022, he has been collaborating with KKH on the Temasek Foundation Youth Connect Programme.

Dr Lois Teo, Head and Senior Principal Psychologist, Psychology Service, KKH Dr Lois Teo has been with KKH Psychology Service since 2006, having also done clinical attachments at National University Hospital, Singapore General Hospital and Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Lois has a doctorate in clinical psychology from James Cook University (Singapore Campus), and specialises in working with children and adults who present with complex emotional, behavioural and mental health conditions.  Lois is an Adjunct Associate Professor (Professional), James Cook University (Singapore Campus). She is also the Education & Professional Development Lead of the KKH Allied Health Office and Clinician-Educator Lead (CEL), roles in which she seeks to continue to broaden and deepen the education efforts amongst allied health professionals.