This study charted the longitudinal trajectories of wives' and husbands' reports of marital love, satisfaction, and conflict and explored whether and how first- and second-born offspring's pubertal development was related to marital changes. Data were drawn from the first 7 years of a longitudinal study of family relationships. Participants…

In a Swedish sample of five autistic children (12 to 18 years old), deterioration or severe symptom aggravation at the onset of puberty that followed earlier improvement is described. It is suggested that autistic children with pubertal deterioration may constitute a meaningful subgroup of the syndrome. (Author/SB)

Suggests that modern civilization isolates teens from real life and creates constraints that can result in psychosocial disorders. Explains that conflict in adolescence is caused by a mismatch between genetically programmed desires and culturally programmed opportunities. Outlines remedial actions that are necessary to make teenagers' lives…

Most parents are used to erratic sleep patterns and mood swings in their teenagers. When these occur in an adolescent with seizures, however, the parent may wonder if sleep and mood problems are related to seizures. Sorting out the cause and effects of sleep in an adolescent with seizures can be confusing. Since stress can be a contributor to both…

This article addresses pragmatic issues regarding the assessment of puberty in research on adolescent health and development. Because pubertal processes have a major effect on physical, psychological, and social development, we posit that the assessment of pubertal status is at least as important as the specification of age for characterizing…

On March 23 and 24, 1998, the Forum on Adolescence gathered an interdisciplinary group of researchers and practitioners to review the state of knowledge about adolescent development at a workshop entitled "New Research on the Biology of Puberty and Adolescent Development." This workshop focused both on puberty, a set of physical changes rooted in…

Presents research on pubertal timing and adolescent stress to illustrate the utility of the life-span perspective. Reasons for the apparent dearth of life-span investigations are discussed, the necessity for long-term longitudinal designs is underscored as a major obstacle, and alternative strategies by which life-span research can be implemented…

Reviews the feasibility and validity of the various methods that have been used to measure puberty and summarizes the evidence-base as to whether the age at menarche and the age at onset of puberty has decreased in recent years. Provides a summary of the findings of relevance to those critically reviewing the current evidence surrounding age of…

Investigates psychosocial issues concerning puberty and motherhood among adult women with cystic fibrosis (CF) to see how they had obtained information on these matters and how they would like information to be given. Results reveal problems with destructive behavior during puberty. Information about puberty and fertility should be given…

Life history theory provides a metatheoretical framework for the study of pubertal timing from an evolutionary-developmental perspective. The current article reviews 5 middle-level theories-energetics theory, stress-suppression theory, psychosocial acceleration theory, paternal investment theory, and child development theory-each of which applies…

The present study examined the interaction between pubertal status and anxiety sensitivity (AS) in predicting anxious and fearful responding to a three-minute voluntary hyperventilation challenge among 124 (57 females) adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 years (Mage = 15.04; SD = 1.49). As predicted, after controlling for baseline anxiety,…

This pamphlet, targeted to girls, discusses issues surrounding puberty. The introduction describes the reaction of parents' to their children's process of growing up, as well as the reaction of other boys and girls to the physical changes of puberty. Physical changes that happen during puberty for girls and boys are listed. Books for girls on…

This pamphlet, targeted to girls' parents, discusses issues surrounding puberty. The introduction discusses cultural images of menstruation and girls' attitudes towards it. Suggestions are offered for discussing menstruation with one's daughter. Suggestions focus on timing of introducing the topic; which parent takes responsibility for menstrual…

This pamphlet, targeted to boys, discusses issues surrounding puberty. The introduction describes the reaction of parents' to their children's process of growing up, as well as the reaction of other boys and girls to the physical changes of puberty. Physical changes that happen during puberty for girls and boys are listed. Books for boys on…

This pamphlet, targeted to boys' parents, discusses issues surrounding puberty. The introduction discusses education about menstruation and girls' and boys' attitudes towards it. Suggestions are offered for discussing menstruation with one's son. Suggestions focus on timing of introducing the topic; which parent takes responsibility for menstrual…