Self-esteem and behavior in girls with Turner syndrome

Data on social competence, behavior, and self-esteem were gathered from a large sample of girls with Turner syndrome to determine whether psychological difficulties were associated with Turner syndrome. Subjects included 97 girls with Turner syndrome, 7 to 14 years of age, and 93 girls without Turner syndrome recruited from public schools. The two groups of girls were similar in age, verbal intelligence scores, and racial composition. The girls with Turner syndrome were found, based on both parental and self-report, to be more immature than the girls in the comparison group, with weaker social relationships, school performance, and self-esteem. A decline in self-esteem was also documented for the girls with Turner syndrome, but not the comparison group, as they moved into early adolescence. Although the findings support an increased risk for subtle behavioral problems among girls with Turner syndrome, in most cases the problems endorsed were not severe enough to suggest clinical impairment.