Perceptions of pubertal timing relative to peers: Comparison targets and social contexts of comparison.

Abstract

Objectives: In studies measuring pubertal timing multiple ways, perceived timing relative to peers is more strongly associated with adverse outcomes in girls. However, girls’ comparison targets (those to whom they compare) and the contexts in which comparison occurs is unclear. This study examined perceived relative pubertal timing to identify the comparison target (ethnicity-race) and the contexts (schools, neighborhoods) of these comparisons. Method: We assessed perceived relative pubertal timing in a diverse sample of 511 late-adolescent girls aged 17–19 years (49% White) recruited from a range of U.S. universities. Results: Girls more often made in-group comparisons. Latina, Asians, and Middle Easterners were more likely to use White comparisons than Blacks. Latinas also more often used Black comparisons, and Latina and Whites more often used Asian comparisons. Early developers (collapsed across ethnicity-race) more often used Latina and Black comparisons. There were no significant differences based on ethnicity-race or pubertal timing groups on the context of comparisons. Conclusions: The study findings support the similarity hypothesis tenet of social comparison theory, such that most girls compare their development with other girls within their own ethnic-racial group, and limited out-group comparisons occur. Moreover, comparison contexts often take place in classrooms/schools. Given research is scant regarding the mechanisms that link puberty and negative outcomes, this study offers new insights into potential social mechanisms for future research to explore. Greater attention might be placed on ethnic-racial identity exploration and critical media literacy to help pubertal girls explore the role of media in their identity development and body ideal.

Testing a concurrent model of social anxiety in preadolescence

“…However, extant research has also demonstrated inconsistent group differences on social anxiety between early and later maturers (Blumenthal et al, 2009; Deardorff et al, 2007). Further, evidence suggests that adolescents’ perceptions of their development relative to their peers are more significant for mental health than actual morphological changes (Carter et al, 2019) and hence our measure might not have been sufficiently sensitive. More importantly, the age of the current cohort was relatively young, both for the development of social anxiety disorder and for pubertally related morphological changes.…”

“…While the hormonal changes associated with puberty underpin changes in brain development and can impact sleep and emotional reactivity, many of the morphological changes can impact on self-concept and social interactions (Boxer et al, 1983). Early developing youth compare themselves against their immediate peer group (Carter et al, 2019) and often perceive themselves to be discordant with respect to appearance (Vogt Yuan, 2007). In turn, early pubertal development (relative to peers) is associated with greater levels of peer-related stress (Conley et al, 2012) and has consistently been linked to a range of mental disorders, especially in girls (Ullsperger & Nikolas, 2017).…”

Bienestar subjetivo e indicadores de depresión en estudiantes universitarios

“…Es decir, en general podrían estar insatisfechos con sus vidas. Esto refleja la sensación generalizada de insatisfacción que es tan típica de la depresión (Carter et al, 2020;Lewinsohn et al, 1991). El resultado del estudio actual es consistente con investigaciones previas, en el sentido de que se encontró una relación entre las variables (Baruah & Hussain, 2021;Cook, 2003;Ried et al, 2006).…”

Gonadal and adrenal hormones interact with pubertal maturation to predict depressive symptoms in a group of high-school females

“…Our understanding of our own development is significant in comparison with those around us. Analyses of pubertal development exploring the social comparison that occurs when individuals self-report pubertal development (Carter, Blazek, & Kwesele, 2020; Mendle, Beltz, Carter, & Dorn, 2019; Thompson et al, 2016) provide support for models that measure perceptions of pubertal onset in addition to stage.…”