Gender differences at puberty

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 5
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Dedication......Page 9
Contents......Page 11
Figures......Page 13
Tables......Page 15
Contributors......Page 16
Preface......Page 19
Acknowledgments......Page 21
Defining puberty......Page 23
Measuring puberty......Page 24
Differentiating different pubertal effects......Page 25
Differentiating pubertal status and pubertal timing effects......Page 27
Recent secular trend in the onset of secondary sexual characteristics but not menarche......Page 32
Ethnicity......Page 33
References......Page 34
Part 1 Sex differences in hormones and their effect at puberty......Page 37
2 The biology of puberty: new developments in sex differences......Page 39
Infancy......Page 40
Puberty......Page 41
References......Page 48
3 Hormonal changes at puberty and the emergence of gender differences in internalizing disorders......Page 51
Why puberty?......Page 52
Hormonal studies......Page 53
Gonadotropin......Page 54
Limitations......Page 55
“Downstream effects” of hormones......Page 57
Modulation of neurotransmitter systems’ – “activational” effects......Page 59
“Organizational” effects......Page 61
HPA axis effects......Page 62
Primary pubertal triggers – GABA/glutamate balance......Page 65
Differential sensitivity to the effects of hormones......Page 66
Genetic variation......Page 67
Social status......Page 68
Temperament......Page 69
Summary and conclusions......Page 71
References......Page 72
Part 2 Girls at puberty......Page 81
Pubertal status versus timing......Page 83
Cultural attractiveness ideals, pubertal development, and body image......Page 84
Mood disturbances......Page 87
Eating disturbances......Page 89
Methodological limitations of literature......Page 91
Research and prevention implications......Page 92
References......Page 93
Association between pubertal processes and opposite sex involvement......Page 99
Pubertal development and opposite sex involvement: relations with adjustment......Page 101
Socialized differences by gender in opposite sex relationships......Page 105
Vulnerability in early romantic involvement with the opposite sex......Page 107
Conclusion......Page 108
References......Page 109
Aggression as a normative behavior: gender differences......Page 115
Hormones and aggression......Page 116
Aggression evolves in specific pathways......Page 119
Mental health and aggression......Page 121
Gender differences and delinquency......Page 122
Girls and delinquency: current times......Page 123
The role of status offenses......Page 124
Violence and female delinquency......Page 125
Conclusion......Page 127
References......Page 128
Part 3 Boys at puberty......Page 133
7 Boys at puberty: psychosocial implications......Page 135
Hormonal correlates of psychosocial development in boys......Page 136
Measuring pubertal status and pubertal timing......Page 138
Two theories and four variants......Page 141
Pioneering studies, 1950–75......Page 142
Deepening the understanding, 1975–97......Page 144
Externalizing problems......Page 145
Family relations......Page 146
Recent developments, 1997–present......Page 147
Conclusion......Page 150
References......Page 151
Part 4 Puberty and psychopathology......Page 157
The phenomenon to be explained......Page 159
Secondary sex characteristics and menarche......Page 161
The implications of variations in end-organ sensitivity to sex steroids......Page 162
There is no single “best measure” of puberty......Page 163
Potential pathways from puberty to depression......Page 164
Pathway 2......Page 165
Pathway 4......Page 166
Sampling frame......Page 167
Psychiatric symptoms and disorders......Page 168
Blood spot collection and hormonal assays......Page 169
Analytic strategy......Page 170
A summary of previous findings......Page 171
Sex steroid threshold......Page 172
The prevalence of life events in mature and immature girls......Page 173
The effects of life events in mature and immature girls......Page 175
References......Page 176
Schizophrenia......Page 187
Gender differences in schizophrenia......Page 189
Gender difference in puberty and schizophrenia......Page 190
The role of stress......Page 192
Estrogens exert central nervous system protection......Page 193
Estrogen and schizophrenia......Page 195
Measures and procedure......Page 196
References......Page 200
Part 5 Pubertal timing: antecedents......Page 207
What is sexual abuse?......Page 209
An integrated psychophysiological perspective of childhood sexual abuse......Page 211
The impact of stress on pubertal timing: a brief review......Page 212
Stressful family contexts: implications for childhood sexual abuse......Page 213
Pre- and postpubertal outcomes of childhood adversity: an evolutionary perspective......Page 215
Conceptualizing CSA as a direct predictor of pubertal timing......Page 216
Sexual abuse of boys......Page 219
Pubertal timing and subjective age: compounding the impact of CSA across development......Page 221
Linking childhood physical and sexual abuse to pubertal timing and adolescent psychosocial adjustment in dating relationships......Page 224
Conclusion......Page 231
References......Page 232
11 Psychosocial factors predicting pubertal onset......Page 239
Sociobiological perspective......Page 240
Family composition......Page 241
Family environments......Page 243
Expanding the types of stressors to examine: results of a study......Page 244
Measures......Page 245
Predicting pubertal timing......Page 248
Discussion......Page 251
NOTES......Page 255
References......Page 256
Part 6 Pubertal timing: consequences......Page 261
12 Short-term and long-term consequences of early versus late physical maturation in adolescents......Page 263
Puberty: variation in timing......Page 264
Consequences of early versus late pubertal development in boys and girls for various domains of psychosocial functioning......Page 265
Theoretical approaches......Page 266
Behavioral differences in different contexts......Page 269
Eating behaviors......Page 272
Moods and emotions......Page 273
Substance use......Page 277
Aggression and deviant behaviors......Page 279
School adaptation and achievement......Page 280
Summary short-term consequences......Page 281
Normative personality development......Page 283
Problem behaviors......Page 286
Work and career aspirations......Page 287
Summary long-term consequences......Page 288
References......Page 290
What does “coming undone” look like among European American and African American girls?......Page 299
Pubertal timing reviewed: developmentally ready or not......Page 300
The assessment of puberty and pubertal timing......Page 301
Context as one lens through which meaning is made and seeds of distress may be sown......Page 302
Ethnic context of development......Page 303
Maryland study of adolescent development in context......Page 305
Measures......Page 306
Adolescent adjustment......Page 309
Findings and discussion......Page 310
Timing of menarche......Page 311
Perception of timing......Page 315
Final thoughts......Page 318
Appendix......Page 320
References......Page 322
Part 7 Puberty and context......Page 327
14 Puberty in context......Page 329
Factors that influence the onset of puberty......Page 332
Racial/ethnic and SES differences in onset of puberty......Page 336
Models that explain outcomes of variations in pubertal onset......Page 338
Establishing for whom effects occur......Page 339
Explanatory models for effects......Page 340
Conclusions......Page 342
References......Page 343
Index......Page 348