Open access

Mental Health and Transitions from Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood: Developmental and Diversity Considerations

Publication: Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
6 June 2014

Abstract

This paper provides a review of mental health and developmental issues specific to the phases of adolescence and emerging adulthood. Prevalence estimates highlight the frequency and severity of mental health difficulties in this age cohort, and point to the pressing need to integrate a developmental perspective in planning support, prevention, and intervention services. A brief overview of common mental health issues is provided, as well as a consideration of relevant developmental trajectories and variations. Using a health equity lens, we discuss diversity issues in relation to transition-aged youth. Conclusions include recommendations to enhance the system of care for transition-aged youth.

Résumé

Cet article fait le point sur les questions de santé mentale et de développement particulières aux phases de l'adolescence et d’émergence de l’âge adulte. Les estimations de prévalence font ressortir la fréquence et la gravité des troubles de santé mentale dans cette cohorte d’âge et le besoin pressant d'intégrer une perspective de développement dans la planification des services d'appui, de prévention et d'intervention. Nous présentons un bref aperçu des troubles mentaux les plus courants, en y incorporant les trajectoires de développement et les variations pertinentes, et abordons les questions de diversité dans une optique d’équité en matière de santé. Nous concluons avec des recommandations pour améliorer le système des services pour les jeunes en transition vers l’âge adulte.

Formats available

You can view the full content in the following formats:

References

Barrett, P. M., & Turner, C. M. (2004). Prevention of childhood anxiety and depression. In P. M. Barrett & T. H. Ollendick (Eds.), Handbook of interventions that work with children and adolescents: Prevention and treatment (pp. 429–474). Chichester, West Sussex, England: Wiley.
Bell K. Anorexia nervosa in adolescents: Responding using the Canadian code of ethics for psychologists Canadian Psychology 2010 51 4 249 -256
Chassen, L., Ritter, J., Trim, R. S., & King, K. M. (2003). Adolescent substance use disorders. In E. J. Mash & R. A. Barkley (Eds.), Child psychopathology (2nd ed., pp. 199–232). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Chaudhry R. A., Perlman S. P., and Waldman H. B. Injuries and individuals with disabilities The Exceptional Parent 2009 39 2 66 -68
Cicchetti D., Rogosch F. A., Sturge-Apple M., and Toth S. L. Interaction of child maltreatment and 5-HTT polymorphisms: Suicidal ideation among children from low-SES backgrounds Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2010 35 5 536 -546
Dworsky A. and Courtney M. Addressing the mental health service needs of foster youth during the transition to adulthood: How big is the problem and what can states do? Journal of Adolescent Health 2009 44 1 1 -2
Essau, C. A. (2004). Prevention of substance abuse in children and adolescents. In P. M. Barrett & T. H. Ollendick (Eds.), Handbook of interventions that work with children and adolescents: Prevention and treatment (pp. 517–540). Chichester, West Sussex, England: Wiley.
Eyberg S. M., Schuhmann E. M., and Rey J. Child and adolescent psychotherapy research: Developmental issues Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 1998 26 1 71 -82
Farrell L., Barrett P., and Piacentini J. Obsessive-compulsive disorder across the developmental trajetory: Clinical correlates in children, adolescents and adults Behaviour Change 2006 23 2 103 -120
First Nations Centre. (2006). An annotated bibliography: Cultural intervention models in mental health. Retrieved from http://www.naho.ca/documents/fnc/english/FNC_MentalHealthAnnotatedBibliography.pdf
Franklin J. C., Hessel E. T., Aaron R. V., Arthur M. S., Heilbron N., and Prinstein M. J. The functions of nonsuicidal self-injury: Support for cognitive-affective regulation and opponent processes from a novel psychophysiological paradigm Journal of Abnormal Psychology 2010 119 4 850 -862
Halmoy A., Fasmer O. B., Gillbeg C., and Haavik J. Occupational outcome in adult ADHD: Impact of symptom profile, comorbid psychiatric problems, and treatment Journal of Attention Disorders 2009 13 2 175 -187
Health Canada. (2007). Reaching for the top: A report by the advisor on healthy children and youth. Retrieved from: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/alt_formats/hpb-dgps/pdf/child-enfant/2007-advisor-conseillere/advisor-conseillereeng.Pdf
Holmbeck, G. N., Bauman, L., Essner, B., Kelly, L., & Zebracki, K. (2010). Developmental context: The transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood for youth with disabilities and chronic health conditions. In D. Lollar (Ed.), Launching into adulthood: An integrated response to support transition of youth with chronic health conditions and disabilities (pp. 21–47). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
Holmbeck, G. N., Greenley, R. N., & Franks, E. A. (2004). Developmental issues in evidence-based practice. In P. M. Barrett & T. H. Ollendick, (Eds.), Handbook of interventions that work with children and adolescents: Prevention and treatment (pp. 27–48). Chichester, West Sussex, England: Wiley.
Hussong A. M. and Chassin L. Stress and coping among children of alcoholic parents through the young adult transition Development and Psychopathology 2004 16 4 985 -1006
Kutcher S. and Szumilas M. Youth suicide prevention Canadian Medical Association Journal 2008 178 3 2
Lewin-Bizan S., Bowers E. P., and Lerner R. M. One good thing leads to another: Cascades of positive youth development among American adolescents Development and Psychopathology 2010 22 4 759 -770
Lewinsohn P. M., Shankman S. A., Gau J. M., and Klein D. N. The prevalence and co-morbidity of subthreshold psychiatric conditions Psychological Medicine 2004 34 4 613 -622
Maikovich-Fong A. K. and Jaffee S. R. Sex differences in childhood sexual abuse characteristics and victims’ emotional and behavioral problems: Findings from a national sample of youth Child Abuse & Neglect 2010 34 6 429 -437
Malcarne, V. L., Hansdottir, I., & Merz, E. (2010). Vulnerability to anxiety disorders in childhood and adolescence. In R. E. Ingram & J. M. Prince (Eds.), Vulnerability to psychopathology: Risk across the lifespan (2nd ed.), (pp. 291–333). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Masten A. S., Roisman G. I., Long J. D., Burt K. B., Obradović J., Riley J. R., and Tellegen A. Developmental cascades: Linking academic achievement and externalizing and internalizing symptoms over 20 years Developmental Psychology 2005 41 5 733 -746
McDonough P. and Berglund P. Histories of poverty and self-rated health trajectories Journal of Health & Social Behavior 2003 44 2 198 -214
McMahon, R. J., & Kotler, J. S. (2004). Treatment of conduct problems in children and adolescents. In P. M. Barrett & T. H. Ollendick (Eds.), Handbook of interventions that work with children and adolescents: Prevention and treatment (pp. 395–426). Chichester, West Sussex, England: Wiley.
McMillen J. C. and Tucker J. The status of older adolescents at exit from out-of-home care Child Welfare 1999 58 3 339 -360
Melchior M., Berkman L. F., Niedhammer I., Zins M., and Goldberg M. The mental health effects of multiple work and family demands: A prospective study of psychiatric sickness absence in the French GAZEL study Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2007 42 7 573 -582
Mortimer J. T., Zimmer-Gembeck M. J., Holmes M., and Shanahan M. J. The process of occupational decision making: Patterns during the transition to adulthood Journal of Vocational Behavior 2002 61 3 439 -465
Odgers C., Burnette M. L., Chauan P., Moretti M. M., and Reppucci N. D. Misdiagnosing the problem: Mental health profiles of incarcerated juveniles Canadian Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Review 2005 14 1 26 -29
Office of the Auditor General of Ontario. (2008). 2008 annual report. Retrieved from http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/reports_en/en08/ar_en08.pdf
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. (2010). Respect, recovery, resilience: Recommendations for Ontario's mental health and addictions strategy. Retrieved from http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/common/ministry/publications/reports/mental_health/mentalhealth_rep.pdf
Patterson, G. R., Reid, J. B., & Dishion, T. J. (1998). Antisocial boys. In J. Jenkins & K. Oatley (Eds.), Human emotions: A reader (pp. 330–336). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Reid, C., & Dudding, P. (2006). Building a future together: Issues and outcomes for transition-aged youth. Ottawa, ON: Centres of Excellence for Children's Well-Being.
Roberts R. E., Roberts C. R., and Chan W. One-year incidence of psychiatric disorders and associated risk factors among adolescents in the community Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 2009 50 4 405 -415
Roberts R. E., Roberts C. R., and Xing Y. Comorbidity of substance use disorders and other psychiatric disorders among adolescents: Evidence from an epidemiologic survey Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2007 88 S4 -S13
Roisman G.I., Aguilar B., and Egeland B. Antisocial behavior in the transition to adulthood: The independent and interactive roles of developmental history and emerging development tasks Developmental Psychopathology 2004 16 4 857 -871
Ronald, M. W., & Henderson, M. J. (Eds.). (2000). Mental health, United States, 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Sancho C., Arija M. V., Asorey O., and Canals J. Epidemiology of eating disorders: A two year follow up in an early adolescent school population European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2007 16 8 495 -504
Sarkar M., Byrne P., Power L., Fitzpatrick C., Anglim M., Boylan C., and Morgan S. Are suicidal phenomena in children different to suicidal phenomena in adolescents? A six-year review Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2010 15 4 197 -203
Schulenberg, J., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Johnston, L. D. (2005). Early adult transitions and their relation to well-being and substance use. In R. A. Settersten, Jr., F. F. Furstenberg, Jr., & R. G. Rumbaut (Eds.), On the frontier of adulthood: Theory, research, and public policy (pp. 417–453). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Smith J. P. and Smith G. C. Long-term economic costs of psychological problems during childhood Social Science and Medicine 2010 71 1 110 -115
Storr C. L., Ialongo N. S., Anthony J. C., and Breslau N. Childhood antecedents of exposure to traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder American Journal of Psychiatry 2007 164 1 119 -125
Tilleczek K., Ferguson M., Cambell V., and Lezeu K. E. Mental health and poverty in young lives: Intersections and directions Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health 2014 33 1 63 -76
Toomey R. B., Ryan C., Diaz R. M., Card N. A., and Russell S. T. Gender-nonconforming lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth: School victimization and young adult psychosocial adjustment Developmental Psychology 2010 46 6 1580 -1589
Waldron, H. B., & Kern-Jones, S. (2004). Treatment of substance abuse disorders in children and adolescents. In P. M. Barrett & T. H. Ollendick (Eds.), Handbook of interventions that work with children and adolescents: Prevention and treatment (pp. 329–342). Chichester, West Sussex, England: Wiley.
Weisz J. R. and Hawley K. M. Developmental factors in the treatment of adolescents Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2002 70 1 21 -43
Whitbeck, L. B. (2009). Mental health and emerging adulthood among homeless young people. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
Wickrama K. A. S., Noh S., and Bryant C. M. Racial differences in adolescent distress: Differential effects of the family and community for blacks and whites Journal of Community Psychology 2005 33 3 261 -282
Willens T. E. A sobering fact: ADHD leads to substance abuse Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2011 50 1 6 -8
Young C. B., Fang D. Z., and Zisook S. Depression in Asian-American and Caucasian undergaduate students Journal of Affective Disorders 2010 125 1–3 379 -382

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

cover image Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health
Volume 33Number 1July 2014
Pages: 77 - 86

History

Version of record online: 6 June 2014

Key Words

  1. mental health
  2. adolescence
  3. emerging adulthood
  4. transition-aged youth
  5. health equity
  6. diversity

Mots-clés

  1. santé mentale
  2. adolescence
  3. émergence de l’âge adulte
  4. jeunes en transition vers l’âge adulte
  5. équité en matière de santé
  6. diversité

Authors

Affiliations

Karen B. MacLeod
E. B. Brownlie
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and University of Toronto

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Other Metrics

Citations

Cite As

Export Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited by

1. Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, Mental Health Service Use, and Cultural Perspectives Among Ethnically Diverse University Students
2. Evaluation of “Bell Let’s Talk in the Classroom”: A Guide for Improving Teachers’ Confidence in Providing Mental Health Education
3. Youth Services System Review: Moving From Knowledge Gathering to Implementation Through Collaboration, Youth Engagement, and Exploring Local Community Needs

View Options

View options

PDF

View PDF

Get Access

Login options

Check if you access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Subscribe

Click on the button below to subscribe to Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health

Purchase options

Purchase this article to get full access to it.

Restore your content access

Enter your email address to restore your content access:

Note: This functionality works only for purchases done as a guest. If you already have an account, log in to access the content to which you are entitled.

Media

Media

Other

Tables

Share Options

Share

Share the article link

Share on social media