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Interaction of pubertal status, mood and self-esteem in adolescent girls
Raquel Huerta1, Olga Leticia Brizuela-Gamiño
1Psychoneuro-Endocrinology Department, Medical Research Institute, University of Guanajuato, and Laboratory of Hematology and Cancer Research, Rodolfo Padilla Foundation, León, Guanajuato, Mexico. mrhuerta@prodigy.net.mx
Objective:
To examine the relationship between pubertal status, mood and self-esteem in adolescent girls.
Study Design:
The symptoms of depression, stress, anxiety, stress perception and self-esteem in 971 girls from 8 to 16 years old were evaluated. The girls' pubertal stage was assigned according to Tanner staging. With the ANOVA test, the mean scores of the psychological symptoms were correlated with the girls' pubertal development.
Results:
The mean age of the girls was 12.5 +/- 2.4, years (mean +/- SD). Three percent of them had symptoms of severe depression, 2.1% had symptoms of severe anxiety, and 20% demonstrated severe stress perception. The symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress perception were highest in girls at Tanner stage V (P < .001). However, the girls' self-esteem decreased as the Tanner stage increased (P < .001).
Conclusion:
The girls' pubertal development was associated with higher scores on depression, anxiety and stress perception and with poor self-esteem. These results may be explained by the modulating effect of sexual hormones on the girls' central nervous system.