Perceived self-esteem among children diagnosed with precocious puberty

Self-esteem is known to be altered in children with chronic illness. Do accelerated normal changes, such as those that occur in children with precocious puberty, also alter the child's self-esteem? Twenty-eight children with precocious puberty participated in a nonrandomized descriptive pilot study using a structured interview, the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, and self-portrait drawings. Results indicate that the overall self-esteem of the majority of children was within normal limits as measured by the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, but closer analysis found that many of the children had difficulty with peer relationships and increased levels of anxiety. These findings were supported by the results of the structured interview and the children's self-portraits. Nursing implications from this pilot study are discussed.