Depression and self-concept in girls with perception of pubertal onset

Abstract

PurposeEarly pubertal timing in girls is associated with psychological and behavioral problems. This study aimed to evaluate the psychological features of girls who perceived breast development beginning by analyzing their depression levels and self-concept.MethodsFrom March 2007 to December 2012, 93 girls were enrolled and assigned to a pre-8 (younger than 8 years, n=43) or post-8 (8 years and older, n=50) group according to the age at onset of perceived breast development, and their height, body weight, body mass index, bone age (BA), Tanner stage, and luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels were examined. We investigated their psychological state with the Korean Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (PHCSC) to evaluate depression levels and self-concept, respectively.ResultsThe pre-8 group had a significantly greater height standard deviation score, (0.5±1.01 vs. 0.11±0.86, P = 0.048) and more advanced BA (2.07±1.02 years vs. 1.40±0.98 years, P = 0.004) compared to the post-8 group. There were no statistically significant intergroup differences for the CDI and PHCSC scores; however, the pre-8 group scored higher than the post-8 group in the physical appearance and attributes domain of the PHCSC (9.93±2.57 vs. 8.52±3.03, P = 0.017).ConclusionThe timing of perceived breast development among girls who thought puberty to begin did not affect depression levels and self-concept. There was no correlation between Tanner stage and depression levels and self-concept despite the perception of pubertal onset. The pre-8 group had a more positive view of their physical appearance than the post-8 group.

Longitudinal Effects of Self-Report Pubertal Timing and Menarcheal Age on Adolescent Psychological and Behavioral Outcomes in Female Youths from Northern Taiwan

“…15 In a similar finding, it was noted that early-maturing Korean girls did not manifest higher levels of depression or lower selfesteem. 16 By contrast, in our previous report we found that self-rated sexual maturity status was related to adolescent psychological well-being regarding self-esteem and interpersonal relationships. 17 The inconsistent results may be due to methodological differences in defining pubertal status.…”

Exploring the Interaction Effects of Gender Contentedness and Pubertal Timing on Adolescent Longitudinal Psychological and Behavioral Health Outcomes

“…It typically represent adolescent mental health-related investigations, including "headaches, " "dizziness, " "loneliness, " "depression, " "worriedness, " "feeling like hurting others, " "feeling like arguing with others, " "feeling like screaming, " "insomnia, " "waking up early, " "light sleeping, " "muscle pain, " "feeling numb, " "feeling like something is stuck in your throat, " "feeling weak, " and "having suicidal feelings" (24). This scale has been extensively applied in research on depression and psychological well-being in this local setting (25)(26)(27). A 5point Likert scale was applied to rate these items, and all the item scores were added together to create a score representing depressive symptomatology (Cronbach α = 0.844).…”

Usefulness of pelvic ultrasonography for the diagnosis of central precocious puberty in girls

“…Central precocious puberty (CPP) is caused by the premature activation of the hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse generator and is generally idiopathic 2) . CPP can be associated with diverse problems such as compromised final adult height and psychological as well as emotional conflicts 3 4 5) . Therefore, an early diagnosis and a proper management are critical 6 7) .…”