Abstract
Menarche is a discrete, transitional event that holds considerable personal, social, biological, and developmental significance.
The present longitudinal study examined both the transition and timing of menarche on the trajectory of anxiety in girls with
histories of childhood maltreatment (N = 93; 63% European American, 14% multiracial, 10% Latino, 9% African American, and 4% Native American). We hypothesized that
because menarche is a novel, unfamiliar experience, girls would show greater anxiety around the time of menarche. The anxiety-provoking
nature of menarche may be accentuated among earlier-maturing girls and girls with histories of childhood sexual abuse. Results
indicated that earlier-maturing girls were more anxious in the pre- and peri-menarche periods than their later-maturing peers;
however, their anxiety declined after menarche. Childhood sexual abuse was associated with heightened anxiety throughout this
transition. The developmental significance of the timing and transition of menarche in relation to childhood sexual abuse
and anxiety is discussed.
The present longitudinal study examined both the transition and timing of menarche on the trajectory of anxiety in girls with
histories of childhood maltreatment (N = 93; 63% European American, 14% multiracial, 10% Latino, 9% African American, and 4% Native American). We hypothesized that
because menarche is a novel, unfamiliar experience, girls would show greater anxiety around the time of menarche. The anxiety-provoking
nature of menarche may be accentuated among earlier-maturing girls and girls with histories of childhood sexual abuse. Results
indicated that earlier-maturing girls were more anxious in the pre- and peri-menarche periods than their later-maturing peers;
however, their anxiety declined after menarche. Childhood sexual abuse was associated with heightened anxiety throughout this
transition. The developmental significance of the timing and transition of menarche in relation to childhood sexual abuse
and anxiety is discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- DOI 10.1007/s10964-010-9622-6
- Authors
- Misaki N. Natsuaki, Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
- Leslie D. Leve, Oregon Social Learning Center, Eugene, OR USA
- Jane Mendle, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR USA
- Journal Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- Online ISSN 1573-6601
- Print ISSN 0047-2891