Adolescent Health

Adolescent health encompasses the complex interplay of biological maturation, neurocognitive development and evolving social roles that occur between the onset of puberty and the assumption of adult responsibilities. This period is characterised by rapid physical growth and hormonal surges that reshape brain circuits responsible for emotion regulation, reward processing and executive control. Concurrently, young people navigate expanding peer networks, shifting family dynamics and increasing autonomy, all of which influence mental wellbeing and health-related behaviours. The major causes of morbidity and mortality in this age group—injuries, mental disorders, substance use and reproductive health challenges—are often preventable. At the same time, under-nutrition and rising rates of overweight co-exist in many settings, reflecting unequal access to nutritious food and opportunities for physical activity. Global adolescent health depends on integrated strategies that address individual risk factors, strengthen family and school support, mitigate social and economic inequities and engage young people as active partners in their own wellbeing.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Analyses of two large UK cohorts have identified sensitive windows during adolescence when self-reported social media exposure most strongly predicts subsequent changes in life satisfaction. The negative associations peak at ages 11–13 in girls and 14–15 in boys, suggesting that developmental timing moderates digital media effects on subjective wellbeing. Longitudinal data from over 10,000 U.S. children reveal that state-level macroeconomic factors—such as cost of living and generosity of anti-poverty benefits—substantially alter the association between family income, hippocampal volume and internalising symptoms. In high-cost states with more generous cash transfers, the typical disparities in brain structure and mental health between low- and higher-income youth were reduced by one-third. A 16-week school-based intervention in primary pupils has further shown that combining aerobic exercise with structured cognitive challenges yields greater gains in both cardiopulmonary fitness and measures of inhibitory control and working memory than either activity alone, highlighting synergistic benefits of integrated physical–cognitive programmes.

Adolescent Health publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in adolescent health across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Pubertal timing: The age at which an individual reaches key sexual maturation milestones relative to their same-sex, same-age peers.

Internalising symptoms: Psychological distress manifesting as inward-directed problems, including depression, anxiety and somatic complaints.

Functional network segregation: The degree to which distinct brain networks operate independently, supporting efficient information processing.

Fractional anisotropy: A diffusion MRI metric quantifying the directional coherence of water movement in white matter tracts, used to assess neural integrity.

Life satisfaction: A facet of subjective wellbeing reflecting an individual’s overall evaluation of their own quality of life.

References

1. Windows of developmental sensitivity to social media. Nature Communications (2022).
2. State-level macro-economic factors moderate the association of low income with brain structure and mental health in U.S. children. Nature Communications (2023).
3. Research on the effect of different aerobic activity on physical fitness and executive function in primary school students. Scientific Reports (2024).
4. Economic inequalities in adolescents’ internalising symptoms: longitudinal evidence from eight countries. The Lancet Psychiatry (2024).
5. Subjective health complaints in early adolescence reflect stress: A study among adolescents in Western Sweden. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health (2021).
6. New Perspectives for Multidisciplinary and Integrated Strategies of Adolescent Health and Well-being.