Children, mothers, and mothers' parents completed questionnaires about the children's involvement with their grandparents. Grandparents were more involved with grandchildren from single-parent than from two-parent families. As grandchildren's pubertal development progressed, grandparents became more involved with grandsons, and grandfathers became…

Relationships between biological pubertal events and self-image were studied for 59 healthy adolescent boys in Finland at ages 13 and 14. During the year, self-image increased in four domains, with changes in Impulse Control and Emotional Tone related to pubertal events. Changes in emotional health or sexual attitudes did not correlate with body…

The co-director of a small independent school describes Girls' Class, which she created in order to have a special time together with the girls in grades 6 through 8. The class provides guidance and celebrates spirituality and the beginning of menses for the young women. To end the class, each person says a positive self-affirmation and gives…

Two studies investigated relationship between adolescents' subjective age and self-reported problem behavior, autonomy, and peer relationships. Findings indicated that older subjective age among 15-year olds correlated positively with problem behaviors, behavioral autonomy, and involvement with other-sex peers. When chronological age and pubertal…

Tested three hypotheses concerning effects of pubertal timing on substance use during early adolescence. Findings supported only the stage termination hypothesis. Early maturing boys and girls reported a higher frequency of substance use within the following year after puberty than did the other participants, with the effects being more pronounced…

Examined effects of the pubertal transition on behavior problems and its interaction with family and neighborhood circumstances in 10- to 12-year-old African Americans. Found that early-maturing youth living in disadvantaged neighborhoods were more likely to affiliate with deviant peers. Early-maturing youth experiencing harsh, inconsistent…

Examined role of pubertal and social transitions in emergence of gender differences in depressive symptoms. Found that differences emerged during eighth grade. Seventh-grade pubertal status related to depressive symptoms. Recent stressful life events related to increased depressive symptoms. Early-maturing girls with higher levels of initial…

The biodevelopmental view sees the readiness and soundness of the organism at the time of first birth as its prime link to health and survival years and decades later. It suggests an optimum age at first birth shortly after puberty. The biosocial view emphasizes social correlates and consequences of age at first birth that may influence health and…

Adolescence is the transition from childhood to adulthood, a period during which an individual acquires the skills necessary to survive on his or her own, away from parents or other caregivers. Adolescence can be a very confusing time. They experience changes in sleep, diet, mood, weight and attitude and a decreased pleasure from daily activities.…

Objective: To ascertain the association between pubertal stage and deliberate self-harm. Method: Cross-sectional survey of 12- to 15-year-olds in 300 secondary schools in the U.S. state of Washington in February-April 2002 and the Australian state of Victoria in June-August 2002. A total of 3,332 students in grades 7 and 9 provided complete data…

The present investigation examines mediated pathways from pubertal development to changes in depressive affect and aggression. Participants were 100 white girls who were between the ages of 10 and 14 (M=12.13, SD=0.80); girls were from well-educated, middle-to upper-middle class families, and attended private schools in a major northeastern urban…

An understanding of the hormonal basis of normal growth and development, including the changes occurring at puberty, is important foundation knowledge for contemporary medical practice in most fields of medicine. A quiz, testing the important physiological concepts of growth and puberty, was designed using the format of the well-known television…

This document presents the third of five newsletters on sex education for parents. The newsletters were designed to help parents increase their ability to communicate with their adolescents about sexual issues. They explore the origins of the parents' feelings about sex; teach the importance of a healthy self-concept and how to build it in the…

The physical and mental problems facing the young adolescent male are discussed. (JD)

As a part of a series of books written by physicians for their patients, this publication explains heredity, birth, and growth patterns to pre-teen children. The chapters are written in language appropriate for children moving from childhood into their teens and deal with topics like: cells, conception, prenatal development, puberty, and changing…