Puberty is the physical and psychological changes that mark the beginning of sexual maturity and typically begins in females between the ages of 9 and 16 and in males between 13 and 15. How an adolescent responds to these changes differs from person to person and is explained by not one single factor, but many.
Psychology
A predisposition to mental illness can contribute to a more negative response to puberty. In a 2011 study at the University of Arkansas, researchers found a correlation between signs of panic in adolescents to nervousness regarding the onset of puberty. Research from the University of Arizona shows that mood disorders in the biological mother is correlated with early maturation in girls, which is correlated with teen pregnancy and other negative outcomes.
Timing
Some adolescents begin puberty earlier than others. Precocious puberty is when the onset is very early: 8 in girls and 9 in boys. When an adolescent's body begins to change before or after that of all their peers, the result could be a negative body image, feelings of social isolation and overall confusion. On the contrary, in some cases, early development is seen in a positive light by adolescents.
Family Influences
Families that fall into the lower bracket of socioeconomic status may lack the resources needed to educate their children on the stages of puberty, eliciting a negative or confused response to their bodies' changes. A 1999 study University of Arizona professor Bruce J. Ellis found that girls with a warmer family environment and supportive parenting had a later onset and a less risky sexual response to puberty.
Culture
Cultural differences also have an effect on how adolescents respond to puberty. Indian girls, for example, are pressured to marry earlier if they endure early onset of puberty, even if they are not emotionally ready. This can lead to a negative association and response to puberty. In other cultures when a male or female reaches the age of maturity; there is a celebration, or rite of passage, giving the adolescent a more positive view of puberty.
References
- University of Michigan; Precocious Puberty (Early Puberty); Kyla Boyes, et al; December, 2009
- University of Arkansas: Puberty and Panic
- North Central Regional Educational Laboratory: Socioeconomic Status
- University of Arizona; Research Focus; Bruce J. Ellis, Ph.D
- Young People's Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights: Information Base
- "Child Development"; Psychosocial Antecedents of Variation in Girl's Pubertal Timing...; Bruce J. Ellis, et al, April 2000
