Blog: Health & Wellbeing
Economic Support for the Transition to Adulthood
May 29, 2025Transitioning to the responsibilities and demands of adulthood can be both exciting and challenging for us all. But without support, the challenges can make the path to a financially secure adulthood more difficult, as young people need to prioritize securing necessities like housing or food, and delay or forego opportunities that could increase their economic mobility. In the second session of the 2025 Adolescent Brain Development Symposium, researchers, policymakers, and youth advocates discussed how we could use financial assistance to help young people navigate this transition to adulthood and how we should implement these types of programs.
The Opportunities and Effects of Climate Action on Adolescents
April 28, 2025Adolescence is a period of significant brain and social development, when we are particularly sensitive to the world around us. This sensitivity can create challenges to young people’s mental health and well-being when they experience or are exposed to information and images about climate change. But these changes can also increase youth’s motivation to participate in climate action, which can mitigate these negative effects while providing an opportunity for them to fill key developmental needs.
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Early Adolescence as an Important Window of Opportunity for Positive Development
March 27, 2025Early adolescence is a critical window of opportunity to set up young people for a healthy and thriving adulthood. This month, we talked to a leading expert in early adolescent development, Dr. Ron Dahl, about what exactly early adolescence is and why it is so crucial to support young people as they go through this period of development.
Press Releases
February 25, 2025: Announcing the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent’s 2024 Annual Report
January 17, 2023: New Guides Help Organizations Build Effective Youth Engagement Programs
August 16, 2021: New Report Examines Intersection of Anti-Black Racism on Youth Development
November 30, 2020: Center for the Developing Adolescent Announces New Advisory Board Members
October 1, 2020: Center for the Developing Adolescent Announces New Leadership
Stay in the Know
How We Can Support Youth to Learn What They Need to Build Healthy Relationships
February 27, 2024Digital Content Contributor Allyson Nesmith summarizes suggestions from our third Love in Adolescence webinar, about how adults can help youth learn about healthy romantic relationships.
Helping Youth Cultivate their Sense of Purpose
November 15, 2023What does it mean to have a purpose? And how can we help young people cultivate their sense of purpose during adolescence? These were questions tackled during our recent webinar, “Cultivating Purpose in Adolescence.”
Supporting Youth Mental Health with Dr. Rhonda Boyd
September 25, 2023UCLA CDA’s Allyson Nesmith talks with NSCA member Rhonda Boyd, PhD, about how adults can support youth mental health and wellbeing.
How can we support the unique developmental needs of adolescents?
June 12, 2023Science journalist Lydia Denworth spoke with Dylan Gee, PhD, Associate Professor, Yale University and Shimica Gaskins, JD, President and CEO, GRACE/End Child Poverty CA to tackle the second question at our second annual Brain Development Symposium.
Caregiving Students Need More Support
February 20, 2023In this blog post, developmental psychologist Emma Armstrong-Carter highlights a form of contributing that many adolescents provide for their families—caregiving—and offers research-informed suggestions for schools to support caregiving students.
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“We Do Have Good Solutions!” What We Need to Do to Support Youth Mental Health
September 30, 2021There are solutions to youth mental health issues. A recent panel discussion at the Commonwealth Club of California described the work needed to get these solutions to young people who need help.
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The Remarkable Resilience of LGB Youth of Color
June 2, 2021A new research paper in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence by Dr. Stephen Russell and PhD student Allen Mallory looks at how racial discrimination intersects with LGB discrimination to affect the mental health of sexual minority youth of color.
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