1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The objective of this study is to shed light on the effects of precocious puberty on children’s psychosocial adjustment […].» (p. 74)

Questions/Hypothèses :
«This study tested the hypothesis that stress conditions and child problem behaviors early in childhood will accelerate timing of puberty and [...] the hypothesis is that girls who mature faster than their peers display more psychosocial adjustment problems during the course of their pubertal development as compared to their on-time or late maturing peers.» (p. 90-91)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«We selected 1039 French Canadian girls and their parents who were followed longitudinally from 1986 when children were 6 years of age until their 17th year.» (p. 91)

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«First, we found that girls whose parents reported higher levels of anxiety when the child was 8 years old, living in more adverse family conditions, and lower level of anxiety a year earlier will experience their first menses at a younger age than their less-anxious peers. Second, we found that later in their development, mothers of faster maturing girls reported less total amounts of sleep for the girls, more externalized problem behaviors and more difficulties relating with their families and peers. These results indicate that family conditions before pubertal development relate to the onset of puberty and its course and have implications for the professionals who work with children and teenager. Professionals should be attentive to the contextual conditions surrounding a precocious puberty such as particular stressful events or changes in the child’s family structure.» (p. 91)