Social Development in Adolescence course for GPs

This session will review the reciprocal impact of changes in social development in adolescence. The session will also consider what impact these developmental changes have on self management of long-term illness during adolescence.

Learning objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Identify the social and behavioural changes that are most likely to occur during early, middle and late developmental stages
• Describe how these changes impact on relationships within the family
• Describe how these changes impact on relationships within peers
• Consider how long-term illness impacts on successful achievement of social and behavioural developmental tasks

Young people live in complex social networks. Their social development takes place in relation to their peers and families, as well as society and other communities. For young people with a long-term illness, medical teams are a significant part of their network. Understanding where young people are in relation to these changes has important implications on how to communicate with them and their ability to manage complex long-term illness regimens.