Rona Carter

Pubertal timing and its link to behavioral and emotional problems among ‘at-risk’ African American adolescent girls

Using an at-risk sample of African American girls, the present study examined the link between girls retrospective reports of pubertal timing, girls perceived relative pubertal timing, and their behavioral and emotional problems as rated by the girls themselves (N=102; 11-17 years), as well as teachers and parents. Structural equation modeling results indicated that the girls retrospective reports of menarche were significantly related to their perceived relative menarche, whereas the girls retrospective reports of development of their breasts were not related to their perceived relative development of breasts. Girls who perceived their breasts developing early relative to their peers were more likely to engage in delinquent behaviors according to teacher report. Significant effects of teacher reported adolescent internalizing problems also were found for girls who retrospectively reported either early or late development of breasts. The studys findings underscore the importance of teasing apart the effects of different indicators of girls pubertal development on psychosocial adjustment and including teachers reports of girls emotional and behavioral problems, particularly among girls with the additional risks associated with residing in an economically disadvantaged urban setting.

Ethnicity, Perceived Pubertal Timing, Externalizing Behaviors, and Depressive Symptoms among Black Adolescent Girls.

An accumulation of research evidence suggests that early pubertal timing plays a significant role in girls’ behavioral and emotional problems. If early pubertal timing is a problematic event, then early developing Black girls should manifest evidence of this crisis because they tend to be the earliest to develop compared to other girls from different racial and ethnic groups. Given the inconsistent findings among studies using samples of Black girls, the present study examined the independent influence of perceived pubertal timing and age of menarche on externalizing behaviors and depressive symptoms in a nationally representative sample of Black girls (412 African American and 195 Caribbean Black; Mxa0=xa015xa0years). Path analysis results indicated that perceived pubertal timing effects on externalizing behaviors were moderated by ethnic subgroup. Caribbean Black girls’ who perceived their development to be early engaged in more externalizing behaviors than Caribbean Black girls’ who perceived their development to be either on-time or late. Age of menarche did not significantly predict Black girls’ externalizing behaviors and depressive symptoms. The onset of menarche does not appear to be an important predictor of Black girls’ symptoms of externalizing behavior and depression. These findings suggest ethnic subgroup and perceived pubertal timing are promising factors for better understanding the adverse effects of early perceived pubertal timing among Black girls.

Sex Variations in Youth Anxiety Symptoms: Effects of Pubertal Development and Gender Role Orientation

This study evaluated whether pubertal development and gender role orientation (i.e., masculinity and femininity) can partially explain sex variations in youth anxiety symptoms among clinic-referred anxious youth (N = 175; ages 9–13 years; 74% Hispanic; 48% female). Using youth and parent ratings of youth anxiety symptoms, structural equation modeling results indicated that youth who reported being more advanced in their pubertal development reported high levels of femininity and anxiety symptoms. Youth who reported high levels of masculinity had low levels of anxiety symptoms as reported by both youths and parents. The estimated effects of pubertal development, femininity, and masculinity on youth and parent ratings of youth anxiety symptoms were not significantly moderated by biological sex. Pubertal development and gender role orientation appear to be important in explaining levels of youth anxiety symptoms among clinic-referred anxious youth.

Race and Perceived Pubertal Transition Effects on Girls’ Depressive Symptoms and Delinquent Behaviors

Most past research on the effects of early pubertal timing on girls’ depressive symptoms and delinquent behavior has focused on either age of menarche or has combined multiple indicators of development into a single index of puberty. Past research has rarely examined both the onset of puberty such as age of menarche, as well more psychologically mediated impressions of puberty (i.e., perceived pubertal timing) within the same study. This study extends past research on racial differences and pubertal related effects on girls’ depressive symptoms and delinquent behavior by examining the independent influence of different indicators of puberty (age of menarche, development of breasts, and perceived pubertal timing). Two waves of data (100xa0% females) were used from African Americans (Nxa0=xa0481) and European Americans (Nxa0=xa01259) who were enrolled in seventh- and eighth-grade during the first wave of data collection in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Early age of menarche was associated with high levels of depressive symptoms at Wave 1. Additionally, both early and late perceived pubertal timing were associated with high levels of depressive symptoms and high delinquent behaviors at Wave 1. The structural relationships among these variables were similar for African Americans and European Americans. Age of menarche and perceived pubertal timing influenced depressive symptoms and delinquent behavior at Wave 2 through depressive symptoms and delinquent behavior reported at Wave 1. The implications of these findings are discussed with an emphasis on how the specific indicator used to assess puberty is important in efforts to understand pubertal timing effects.

Teachers’ Expectations of Girls’ Classroom Performance and Behavior: Effects of Girls’ Race and Pubertal Timing

Experiencing an early pubertal transition has been shown to increase the risk for internalizing and externalizing outcomes among girls. It is less clear how the expectations of other individuals can be critical determinants of vulnerability for early developers. This study used an experimental design to examine whether the expectations of teachers might be influenced by girls’ pubertal timing (early, on-time, late) and race (Black, White). Elementary school teachers (N = 220; Mage = 43 years; 91% female; 84% White) were randomly shown behavior vignettes consisting of drawings of girls in varying stages of pubertal development. They then rated each girl’s future academic/social functioning. Results demonstrated that teachers expected White and Black early developers to have more academic/social problems. Teachers also ascribed more academic/social problems to Black early developers relative to White early developers. The findings offer new insights into the synergistic linkages between pubertal timing and teachers’ expectations, with girls’ race accentuating this relationship.

Pubertal timing, racial identity, neighborhood, and school context among black adolescent females

Objectives: This study bridges the empirical research on pubertal timing effects, racial identity, and school and neighborhood context to understand the pubertal development and depression link among Black adolescent females. We examined whether racial identity content dimensions moderated the relation between pubertal timing and depressive symptoms among Black adolescent females and the moderating capacity of school and neighborhood racial composition. Method: We administered measures of pubertal development, racial identity, and depressive symptoms to a sample of 217 Black adolescent females, aged 14 to 18. We assessed racial centrality, private regard, and public regard and used archival data to obtain the racial composition of participants’ neighborhoods and schools. Results: The results indicated that high racial centrality levels were linked to depressive symptoms for adolescent girls with late pubertal timing relative to their early counterparts, which was stronger for girls attending not majority Black schools. The results also indicated that low public regard levels were linked to depressive symptoms among adolescent girls with early pubertal timing relative to their late counterparts, which was stronger for girls attending not majority Black schools. Conclusions: The current study provides evidence that racial identity and school racial context moderate the effects of pubertal timing differentially for early and late maturing Black girls. The results support the notion that the psychological effects of pubertal timing on internalizing symptoms are context dependent.

Promoting Resilience Among African American Girls: Racial Identity as a Protective Factor

This study examines school climate, racial identity beliefs, and achievement motivation beliefs within a cultural-ecological and risk and resilience framework. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of 733 (Mage xa0=xa014.49) African American adolescent girls. A linear mixed effects model was used to determine if racial identity dimensions moderated the relationship between school climate and achievement motivation beliefs across four waves. Results revealed that racial identity (private regard and racial centrality) and ideology (nationalist) beliefs were associated with higher achievement motivation beliefs over time, while racial centrality and private regard, and a sense of belonging served as protective factors. The findings contribute to the importance of racial identity beliefs and increase the visibility of African American girls.

Anxiety Symptoms in African American Youth The Role of Puberty and Biological Sex

This study examined the effects of pubertal status, pubertal timing (actual and perceived), and youth biological sex on symptom dimensions of anxiety (i.e., social, separation, harm avoidance, physical) in African Americans (n = 252; ages 8-12). For girls, results indicated that pubertal status and timing (actual) exerted similar effects for some symptom dimensions of anxiety but not others. Early pubertal timing predicted high levels of physical symptoms, whereas beginning puberty (i.e., no menarche, but either breasts or pubic hair growth) and early pubertal timing predicted high levels of harm avoidance. For boys, only perceived pubertal timing predicted high levels of social, separation, harm avoidance, and physical symptoms. Pubertal effects (status and timing [actual]) on harm avoidance and physical symptoms were stronger for girls than for boys. These findings extend the literature on anxiety in African American youth and may help identify novel, high-risk subgroups of this population for targeted prevention and intervention programs.

Racial Identity in the Context of Pubertal Development: Implications for Adjustment.

The developmental significance of youths’ racial identities during adolescence is well established. It is less clear how puberty, a normative process, influences the relationship between racial identity and adjustment outcomes during adolescence. This study examined whether puberty moderates the relationship between racial identity dimensions and internalizing and externalizing outcomes, and whether the effects of puberty and racial identity on internalizing and externalizing outcomes vary by child sex. Data are drawn from African American families (N = 176; 48% female) who participated in Waves 4 and 5 of Phase III of the NICHD SECCYD. Results indicated that fifth-grade boys who felt more positively about being African American and were less advanced in their pubertal development evidenced less internalizing problems 1 year later, after adjusting for previous internalizing levels; however, for boys further in their pubertal development, having higher private regard was associated with more, rather than less, internalizing problems. Additionally, fifth-grade boys and girls who were less advanced in their pubertal development and believed that society views African Americans in a more positive light (higher public regard levels) engaged in more externalizing behaviors 1 year later, after adjusting for previous externalizing levels. Findings offer new insights into the independent and synergistic linkages between racial identity and pubertal development in their relation to internalizing and externalizing outcomes among African American youth.

Self-perceptions of pubertal timing and patterns of peer group activities and dating behavior among heterosexual adolescent girls

This study identified patterns of past and concurrent peer group and dating behavior in a sample of adolescent girls (Nxa0=xa0511; aged 17-19 years; 49% White). Peer group activities and dating behaviors were classified as occurring in either early (ages 10-13 years), middle (ages 14-16 years), or late (ages 17-19 years) adolescence according to the age at which each participant indicated the activity/behavior was first experienced. Latent class analysis identified four latent classes: Early Interactions/Early Daters (15%), Early Interactions/Late Daters (17%), Early Interactions/Middle Daters (33%) and Middle Interactions/Middle Daters (35%). Class membership was associated with girls perceived pubertal timing. Compared to Early Interactions/Early Daters, girls in the Early Interactions/Late Daters class reported higher levels of pubertal timing, indicating greater perception that their pubertal development was late relative to peers. Late perceived pubertal timing is potentially relevant for dating but not necessarily other mixed- and cross-sex peer interactions.