Conceptual pathways to HIV risk in Eastern and Southern Africa: An integrative perspective on the development of young people in contexts of social-structural vulnerability
The transition from childhood to adulthood is characterised by substantive biological, psychological, and social changes. A majority of these changes are captured under the umbrella concept of adolescence, a period in which young people undergo biological changes and fulfil key developmental tasks towards independence and self-reliance (Blakemore & Mills, 2014; Linders, 2017). Although legal designations of adulthood (e.g. 18 years of age or older) suggest that fulfilment of this developmental process depends on shared chronological markers, there is extensive interindividual variability in the timing, tempo, and extent to which young people experience developmental changes as they transition from childhood to adulthood. Compared to their counterparts in more developed parts of the world, young people in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) must navigate developmental milestones within environments that often pose significant short- and long-term mental and physical health risks. Understanding developmental changes that accompany the transition to adulthood is key to identifying the challenges that young people experience within the broader sociocultural context in which they live. This chapter provides an overview of theoretical positions that are central to holistically understanding the biopsychosocial development of young people.
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