The Personal and Interpersonal Significance of Menarche

Koff, Elissa; Rierdan, Jill; Jacobson, Stacy

doi:10.1016/s0002-7138(09)60724-x

Cited by 69 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Most women reported having experienced negative emotions only; a few mentioned having either only positive emotions, or negative and positive emotions simultaneously. These findings are consistent with earlier studies that showed that most women report negative emotions at the time of menarche, but also provides support for studies that found girls experiencing positive or mixed feelings (Golub & Catalano, 1983;Koff, Rierdan, & Jacobson, 1981;Woods, Dery, & Most, 1983, Beausang & Razor, 2000.…”

Section: Women's Menarche Experiencessupporting

confidence: 90%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Women's menarche stories from a multicultural sample

Üskül

2004

Social Science & Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper reports on the findings of a focus group study that examines how women have experienced menarche at the personal level and in relation to the larger cultural, religious, and societal environment. Fifty-three women from 34 different countries were recruited in 13 focus groups. On the one hand, at the personal level, menarche stories shared in this study revealed salient themes concerning feelings experienced at the time of menarche, the importance of mother's reactions to their daughter's first menstruation, difficulties around understanding the meanings attached to menarche by others, managing menstrual products, as well as making sense of formal education related to menstruation, and finally the age of menarche. On the other hand, the discussions concerning how women experienced menarche in relation to the larger cultural, religious, and societal environment revealed secrecy to be a defining feature of many stories.Cultural expectations of learning and following the rules and regulations surrounding menstruation led to different reactions in women at the time of their menarche. Very few women mentioned a ritual or celebration at the time of their menarche. Findings are discussed in terms of similarities and differences in menarche stories of women from different cultural backgrounds.Limitations of the study are mentioned and suggestions for future research are provided.Key words: menarche, culture, focus groups Women's Menarche Stories 3 Women's Menarche Stories from a Multicultural SampleMenarche, the onset of the first menses, is a significant milestone in a woman's life and reproductive cycle. For the female adolescent, it is a sharply defined, sudden, and distinct biological event (Golub, 1992;Koff, Rierdan, & Silverstone, 1978). Menarche is also a sociocultural event that is shaped and constructed by cultural institutions such as religion, science, and media (e.g., Chandra & Chaturvedi, 1992;Laws, 1990;Paige & Paige, 1981).In psychology, menarche has attracted researchers' attention, especially during 1970's and 1980's. Current studies on menarche are sparse, but a few recent publications on this topic may indicate re-emerging interest in this topic (e.g., Beausang & Razor, 2000;Chrisler & Zittel, 1998;Kissling, 2002). Menarche studies in psychology were typically examined the experience among young female adolescents or college students in North America. Although a few studies have looked at cultural similarities or differences in women's menarche experiences, it is usually in the area of anthropology where we find cross-cultural studies. This particular study was designed to contribute to the slowly growing cross-cultural psychology literature on women's menarche experiences. The goal was to hear and record menarche stories of women from different cultural backgrounds, and thereby to explore salient themes that emerge in their menarche experiences. The study then draws upon these accounts to analyze the effects of the larger cultural, religious, and societal environment on personal exp...

show abstract

Section: Women's Menarche Experiencessupporting

confidence: 90%

“…In most studies, adolescent girls reported experiencing negative and sometimes mixed emotions (e.g., Koff, Rierdan, & Jacobson, 1981;Woods, Dery, & Most, 1982;Beausang and Razor, 2000). But it has been found that women tend to experience menarche as a shift to physical maturity (Koff, 1983).…”

Section: Women's Menarche Stories From a Multicultural Samplementioning

confidence: 99%

Women's menarche stories from a multicultural sample

Üskül

2004

Social Science & Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Among girls, menarche is a concrete event highlighting the change from girl to adult female. The psychological impact of menarche may include some negative consequences, but also positive elements, given status changes (Koff, Rierdan, & Jacobson, 1981;Whisnant & Zegans, 1975).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Timing of Puberty on Psychosomatic Symptoms among Fourteen- to Sixteen-Year-Old Finnish Girls

Aro¹,

Taipale²

1987

Child Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

All eighth-grade pupils of secondary schools in a Finnish town completed questionnaires 3 times during a 17-month follow-up. A total of 935 girls were included in the study. The mean age of the girls at the start of the study was 14.5 years. The results showed that there were differences in psychosomatic symptoms, dating, and alcohol use by age of menarche. However, the results suggested that the differences by age of menarche were largely associated with pubertal development as such. After controlling for time since menarche, the impact of timing on psychosomatic symptoms was demonstrated only at the beginning of the study, not later. Differences in behavior also seemed to be related to pubertal development rather than timing. Differences in symptoms by age of menarche remained after controlling for dating and alcohol use.

show abstract

“…Many girls are unprepared for menarche and do not understand what is happening to them when they experience it (Logan, 1980); this is especially likely to occur in early maturing girls for whom menarche appears to be more traumatic than for those who are "on time" or late (Petersen, 1983;Scott, Arthur, Panzio, & Owen, 1989). In one study (Scott et al, 1989) of African-American girls, 27 percent of the participants said that they felt totally unprepared for menarche; this can be compared to the approximately 14 percent of European American girls in previous studies (Koff, Rierdan, & Jacobson, 1981; who reported being unprepared.…”

Section: Menarchementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In studies of North American girls, participants typically report mixed feelings about menarche, such as proud and embarrassed or happy and frightened (Chrisler & Zittel, 1998;Koff, Rierdan, & Jacobson, 1981;Woods, Dery, & Most, 1983;Zimmerman & Chrisler, 1996). African-American and Hispanic girls have reported less positive reactions to menarche than European American girls, and Hispanic girls also report the most negative beliefs about menstruation (Zimmerman & Chrisler, 1996).…”

Section: Menarchementioning

confidence: 99%

Motherhood and Reproductive Issues

Chrisler

Johnston‐Robledo

Issues in the Psychology of Women

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

INTRODUCTlONThe topics discussed in this chapter (menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, birth, contraception, and motherhood) are central to the psychology of women. They are, after all, experienced only by women, and most women, despite the diversity of their lives, will experience menstruation and menopause and consider whether (and when) to use contraception. The majority of women will become pregnant at some point in their lives, and most who do will become mothers. Thus, our menstrual, menopausal, and reproductive experiences have the potential to draw together women who otherwise might not have much in common, and women do, under congenial circumstances, enjoy sharing with each other stories about menarche and mothering or arguing about whose labor or hot flashes were the most difficult to endure.Although menarche can be a source of pride, pregnancy exciting, and motherhood the fount of our greatest joys, reproduction can also become oppressive to women. Obstetrics and Gynecology, the only medical specialty exclusively focused on women, essentially defines women in terms of the traditional roles of wife and mother, and it redefines normal developmental events in women's lives into illnesses and medical emergencies (Gannon, 1998;Rosser, 1993). Medical imperialism (Gannon, 1998) and sociocultural pressures can combine to convince women that they have little control over their reproductive experiences or force them to be secretive about the decisions they have made. Therefore, counselors and psychotherapists who work with women should expect to hear a wide range of attitudes, concerns, and experiences with regard to the topics of this chapter. MENSTRUATIONMost Western women can expect to experience monthly menstrual cycles for three to four decades. The regular appearance of the menses is a sign of good health, is symbolic of a connection to other women, represents biological maturity, signifies our ability to bear children, but lets us know we are not pregnant (Chrisler, 1996). The menstrual cycle provides a clear distinction between women and men, and, as a result, "its correlates, concomitants, ac-

show abstract

The Personal and Interpersonal Significance of Menarche

Cited by 69 publications

References 5 publications

Women's menarche stories from a multicultural sample

Women's menarche stories from a multicultural sample

The Impact of Timing of Puberty on Psychosomatic Symptoms among Fourteen- to Sixteen-Year-Old Finnish Girls

Motherhood and Reproductive Issues

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About