The importance of body change during the adolescence has been well documented within the literature. In this study, gender differences were investigated in the use of adolescents' perceptions of all body images, body parts and functions, and strategies of coping with body image. Data were collected from 710 first-year students from different high…

Erikson (1950) contends that the physical changes associated with puberty serve as a catalyst for adolescents to question childhood identifications and to consolidate these with current self-conceptions, personal ideologies, interpersonal values, and future aspirations. Erikson describes the adolescent identity crisis as the developmental period…

Self-esteem and body image are central to coping successfully with the developmental challenges of adolescence. However, the current knowledge surrounding self-esteem and body image is fraught with controversy. This study attempts to clarify some of them by addressing three questions: (1) Are the intraindividual developmental trajectories of…

The goal of this paper, "National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, K-12," is to provide clear, consistent and straightforward guidance on the "essential minimum, core content" for sexuality education that is developmentally and age-appropriate for students in grades K-12. The development of these standards is a result of an…

Adolescents with varying combinations of pubertal delay and growth retardation were given the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire. Delay in sexual maturation by itself had no deleterious effect on self-image but growth retardation did. (Author/GK)

Examines three contemporary plays for young audiences that feature adolescent female protagonists to examine the treatment of adolescent girls'"coming of age" issues regarding sexuality, body, and identity. Finds that all three protagonists grapple with self-consciousness and cultural norms regarding beauty and explore their struggles…

The psychosocial impact of puberty on changes in girls' feelings about their bodies and their sexuality is discussed. We present a model of girls' sexuality development that incorporates puberty, self, and peer systems. (Contains 2 figures.)

Examines the changing-voice process by interviewing 141 males including changing-voice boys (both singers and non-singers) and men (both singers and non-singers at time of voice change). Finds that boys remember more about voice change than do men, singers noticed voice-change signs more, and mixed feelings about voice change were expressed. (DSK)

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…

Research has identified several factors which may be stressful in early adolescence, including school change, puberty, and family changes. This study used a longitudinal cohort sequential design to examine whether stressful changes in early adolescence have impact beyond early adolescence. Of the 335 sixth graders initially sampled, 169 were…

Research on girls' development has found that girls see the world that coheres through human relationships rather than through systems of rules, and that 12 or 13 is a watershed age for girls, a time of "central relational crisis." As their bodies enter the physiological transformations that culminate in womanhood, they face an onslaught…

One thousand twenty-four African American and Latino sixth graders participated in a study examining the moderating role of pubertal development on the relation between peer victimization and adolescent self-worth, depressed mood, and physical symptoms using peer and self-reported victimization. It was hypothesized that early-maturing girls who…

This book emphasizes female adolescents' healthy development within a psychoanalytic frame of reference for what is normative, that also indicates the boundaries of and transitions to what is deviant. The book's 12 articles relate to 3 general topics. The two articles in part 1 of the book, which addresses biological issues, are "Female…

Describes the dramatic increase in eating and depressive disorders experienced by significant numbers of girls as they pass through puberty. The Adolescent Study Program followed girls with eating and depressive problems across the entire adolescent decade. Discusses characteristics which are predictive of more intense problems while suggesting…

A longitudinal study of early adolescents examined gender differences in attitude and behavior, as well as the effects of pubertal change, parental expectations, and parental support. It was hypothesized that sex differences would emerge during preadolescence and that males' and females' rates of change would be significantly different. Subjects…