Pubertal development in early adolescent girls: Relationships to mood, energy, restlessness, and certainty about self.

Abstract

The literature on adolescent development suggests that internal hormonal change and external morphological change are important in understanding adolescent moods and behavior. The studies reported examine biological change, mood, energy, restlessness, and certainty about self in early adolescent girls. Fifty-three girls aged 9.1 to 10.8, their mothers (N = 53), and their fathers (N = 36), answered questions about the girls' moods, energy, and restlessness on twelve days over the course of one month. Intensity and variability of these daily measures were calculated. Repeated samples of urine and saliva were also obtained from the girls; testosterone, estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone were measured. The girls and their parents also took part in an interview measuring certainty about self (from the children) and perceived pubertal status and timing (from children and parents separately). Results suggested that early puberty is a time of adaptation to a changing body. Perceived pubertal status and hormone activity each had separate and independent predictive associations with mood intensity, mood variability, and energy and restlessness levels and variability. Girls who felt they were experiencing pubertal changes reported more intense and variable (across the month) moods, and more variable restlessness than perceived pre-pubertal girls. Early timing of puberty was positively associated with certainty about self. The possibility that psychological uncertainty provoked by a new body is unconscious is discussed. In addition, hormones, particularly FSH concentration, were associated with greater variability of negative moods, more swings in mood within one day, and greater variability of energy. Explanations for relationships between FSH and moods in early adolescent girls are explored. Results also suggest that the measure of puberty used influences the conclusions one draws about pubertal status and moods. Perceived pubertal status defined as quantitative progression on the indices of body hair and breast development showed very few significant associations with moods, energy, or restlessness. Perceived pubertal status defined as qualitative differences on a larger set of indices (growth in height, body hair growth, breast development and skin changes) showed the relationships with the outcome variables reported above.