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…

Purpose: To examine concordance between two self-reported measures of puberty: Sexual Maturation Scale (SMS) and Pubertal Development Scale (PDS) and their acceptability to adolescents. Methods: Participants of a school-based study in grades 5, 7 and 9 were classified into one of 5 pubertal stages using each method. Results: 2864 students (age…

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.…

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…

"Childhood and youth are sacred times when innate curiosity is intense and health and zest tend to be strong. Those years are too important to be frittered away memorizing irrelevant trivia." A shorter school year is advocated and alternative means of learning are seen as plentiful. (Author/MLW)

The impact of different school environments on the process of incorporating adolescent physical changes into body image is explored using data on 225 White females from a longitudinal study. (Author/LMO)

Data from the National Health Examination Survey, a national probability sample of children and youth aged 12-17, was used to investigate the relationships between maturational timing and body image, school behavior, and deviance. (Author/LMO)

This article discusses issues related to body image in adolescents, explaining what school practitioners can do to encourage lifelong healthy habits that enhance body image. Body image is the picture of physical self carried in the mind's eye. This impression can have little resemblance to how a teen actually looks. Body image culturalization is…

Examines six sets of data on giftedness and creativity, finding little evidence for the belief that creativity in adults is mirrored in children. Questions whether children are creative, and whether creativity can be taught. Discusses creation of transitional objects; gaps, novelty, curiosity, and exploration; puberty as a developmental marker;…