Abstract
Background
Current health literature suggests that there has been a decline in the age of pubertal onset, and that pubertal development is influenced by social context. Unfortunately, contemporary Canadian-specific data have not been available. This study examined the odds of having entered puberty at various ages during adolescence, before and after controlling for the effects of family socio-economic status and family structure.
Methods
Longitudinal data for this study were drawn from the first four cycles of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. The final sample consisted of 7,977 adolescents ranging in age from 10 to 17. Pubertal status of the participants was identified based on pubic hair, facial hair growth, and voice change, for boys; and pubic hair, breast development, and menstruation, for girls. Trajectories of pubertal development were analyzed with HLM growth curve modelling techniques.
Results
The results indicated that, compared to boys, the odds of having entered puberty at age 13 were 6.45 times higher for girls and that girls go through puberty more quickly. Low family socio-economic status and living with a stepfather were found to predict early onset of pubertal development.
Conclusion
Contextual factors are related to pubertal development. Additional research is needed to develop a more solid understanding of how psychosocial factors interact to predict gendered patterns of pubertal development.
MeSH terms: Adolescent development, puberty, longitudinal studies, binomial distribution, socioeconomic status, family characteristics
Résumé
Contexte
Selon les études actuelles sur la santé, la puberté démarrerait plus tôt, et le développement pubertaire serait influencé par le contexte social. Malheureusement, on ne dispose pas de données contemporaines spécifiquement canadiennes sur le sujet. Notre étude porte sur les probabilités d’entrée dans la période pubertaire à divers âges de l’adolescence, avant et après avoir apporté des ajustements pour tenir compte des effets de la structure et du statut socioéconomique de la famille.
Méthode
Les données longitudinales de l’étude sont tirées des quatre premiers cycles de l’Enquête longitudinale nationale sur les enfants et les jeunes. L’échantillon final comprenait 7 977 adolescents âgés de 10 à 17 ans. Nous avons déterminé le stade de la puberté de chaque participant d’après l’apparition des poils pubiens, l’apparition des poils faciaux et le changement de la voix (chez les garçons); et l’apparition des poils pubiens, le développement des seins et la menstruation (chez les filles). Les évolutions morphologiques du développement pubertaire ont été analysées selon des techniques de modélisation linéaire hiérarchique (MLH).
Résultats
Les probabilités d’être entrés dans la période pubertaire à 13 ans étaient 6,45 fois supérieures chez les filles que chez les garçons, et la durée de la période pubertaire était plus courte chez les filles. Le faible statut socioéconomique familial et le fait de vivre avec un beau-père étaient des variables prédictives d’une puberté précoce.
Conclusion
Des facteurs contextuels sont liés au développement pubertaire. Il faudrait mener d’autres études pour mieux comprendre l’interaction des facteurs psychosociaux et leur portée sur les modes de développement pubertaire selon le sexe.
Footnotes
Disclaimer: The analyses were based on the Statistics Canada master file National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth anonymous data that were collected during 1994–95, 1996–97, 1998–99, and 2000–01. The authors are entirely responsible for the use and interpretation of these data.
Acknowledgements: This study was partially supported by the Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
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