The Welcome to Adolescent Healthcare Letter: A Rite of Passage

Human societies have always marked the attainment of life's major milestones with rites of passage [1]. These major milestones are universal across cultures and include birth, the transition to adulthood, and death [2]. The life stage that encompasses the transition to adulthood is adolescence. Illustrating the complexity of adolescence, Anne C. Petersen has described it as “the period of life that begins in biology and ends in society” [3]. Although adolescence begins with the physical changes known as puberty, adolescence encompasses a myriad of social, cognitive, and behavioral changes that—when successful—culminates in an emotionally intelligent, productive member of society [3].
Source: Journal of Adolescent Health - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research