The importance of body image in early adolescent girls' depression was evaluated in a longitudinal study. Depression scores of over 500 girls were assessed twice, in the fall (TI) and spring (T2) of a school year, and four subject groups were identified: Persistent Depressed (depressed at Ti and T2); Remitting Depressed (depressed at Ti, nondepressed at T2); Onset Depressed (nondepressed at Ti, depressed at T2); and Stable Nondepressed (nondepressed at Ti and T2). Discriminant analyses indicated that body image at Ti was more important to the prediction of persistence of depression (i.e., to the discrimination of Persistent Depressed from Remitting Depressed girls) than to the prediction of onset of depression (i.e., to the discrimination of Onset Depressed from Stable Non depressed girls). Results therefore clarify the relationship between body image and depression and demonstrate the heuristic value of discriminating questions of onset and persistence of adolescent girls' depression.

This overview details the persistence of negative characterizations of the menstrual cycle as a feature of the current cultural context in which girls begin menstrual life in the United States. In addition, research on girls' current menstrual attitudes and experiences within this context are reviewed. Current research suggests that girls are not very knowledgeable about menstruation, and that menstrual education continues to provide girls with mixed messages, such as: menstruation is a normal, natural event, but it should be hidden. Girls' attitudes and expectations about menstruation are negatively biased and have been found to contribute to self-objectification, body shame, and lack of agency in sexual decision-making. Although preparation has been found to be associated with more positive menarcheal and menstrual experiences, specificity about what constitutes "good" preparation has not been well articulated. Implications for promoting the menstrual cycle among young girls as a vital sign in service of monitoring their health are discussed.

Structure and valuation of body image and the relationship between body image and self-concept were examined in 169 ninth-grade males and females. Three specific hypotheses were tested: (a) that females would have more differentiated body images than males; (b) that males would value their bodies more than females; and (c) that the degree of relationship between valuation of body image and self-concept would be stronger for females than for males. Two measures of body image, body satisfaction and body experience, and two measures of self-concept, self-esteem and self-awareness, were employed. As predicted, females had more diffierentiated, and males more global, body images, and males were more positive about their bodies than were females. Contrary to expectations, no significant gender differences were found for any of the correlations between body image and self-concept, although all correlations for males were higher than were those for females.

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As clinicians and researchers have begun to document the prevalence of depressive symptomatology among children and adolescents, efforts are being undertaken to identify correlates, and possible determinants, of depressive disorders occurring before adulthood. With this aim, a study was undertaken to assess the relation between depression and body image in a sample of ninth grade boys and girls. Findings were that (a) depressed adolescents-both boys and girls-had poorer body images than their non-depressed peers, (b) gender differences in body image appeared among non-depressed adolescents, with boys more satisfied with their bodies than girls, while (c) no gender differences appeared in body image among depressed adolescents. These findings contribute to the clinical-developmental literature in two principal ways: The relation between depression and body satisfaction for adolescent boys versus girls is clarified and, in so doing, new light is shed on the broader issue of body image in early adolescence.