Abstract
The relationships between age at menarche, preparation for menarche, and initial experience of menarche, were assessed in a retrospective questionnaire administered to 97 college-aged women. The more knowledgeable a girl was prior to menarche, the more adequate she perceived her preparation for menarche to have been; and the older she was at the time of menarche, the more likely she was to report a positive initial experience. These data support clinical anecdotes describing initial responses to menarche, and provide information about the factors which can moderate the extent to which menarche is experienced as a traumatic and disruptive event.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bean, J. A., Leeper, J. D., Wallace, R. B., Sherman, B. M., and Jagger, H. (1979). Variations in the reporting of menstrual histories.Am. J. Epidemiol. 109: 181–185.
Bloch, D., (1978). Sex education practices of mothers.J. Sex Educ. Ther. 4: 7–12.
Bloch, D. (1979). Level and sources of sex knowledge of 12-year-old girls. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Public Health Association, Maternal and Child Health Section, New York, NY, November.
Brooks-Gunn, J., and Ruble, D. N. (1979). The social and psychological meaning of menarche. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, San Francisco, Calif., March.
Burton, R. V. (1970). Validity of retrospective reports assessed by the multitrait-multi-method analysis.Dev. Psychol. Monogr. 3(5): 1–15.
Deutsch, H. (1944).The Psychology of Women, Vol. I, Grune & Stratton, New York.
Erikson, E. H. (1950).Childhood and Society, Norton, New York.
Faust, M. S. (1960). Developmental maturity as a determinant in prestige of adolescent girls.Child Dev. 31: 173–184.
Kestenberg, J. S. (1961). Menarche. In Lorand, S., and Schneer, H. I. (eds.),Adolescents: Psychoanalytic Approach to Problems and Therapy, Paul B. Hoeber, New York.
Kestenberg, J. S. (1967). Phases of adolescence, Parts I and II.J. Am. Acad. Child Psychiat. 6:426–463,577–611.
Koff, E., Rierdan, J., and Silverstone, E. (1978). Changes in representation of body image as a function of menarcheal status.Dev. Psychol. 14: 635–642.
Koff, E., Rierdan, J., and Jacobson, S. (1981). The personal and interpersonal significance of menarche.J. Am. Acad. Child Psychiat. 20: 148–158.
Petersen, A. C. (1981). Menarche: Meaning of measures and measuring meaning. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, New Rochelle, June.
Rierdan, J., and Koff, E. (1980). The psychological impact of menarche: Integrative versus disruptive changes.J. Youth Adoles. 9: 49–58.
Ritvo, S. (1971). Adolescent to woman. In Blum, H. P. (ed.),Female Psychology: Contemporary Psychoanalytic Views, International Universities Press, New York.
Rosenbaum, M. (1979). The changing body image of the adolescent girl. In Sugar, M. (ed.),Female Adolescent Development, Brunner/Mazel, New York.
Shainess, N. (1961). A re-evaluation of some aspects of femininity through a study of menstruation: A preliminary report.Comprehen. Psychiat. 2: 20–26.
Whisnant, L., Brett, E., and Zegans, L. (1975). implicit messages concerning menstruation In commercial educational materials prepared for young adolescent girls.Am. J. Psychiat. 132: 815–820.
Whisnant, L., and Zegans, L. (1975). A study of attitudes toward menarche in white middleclass American adolescent girls.Am. J. Psychiat. 132: 809–814.
Yarrow, M. R., Campbell, J. D., and Burton, R. V. (1970). Recollections of childhood: A study of the retrospective method.Monogr. Soc. Res. Child Dev. 35(5).
Zacharias, L., Rand, W. M., and Wurtman, R. J. (1976). A prospective study of sexual development and growth in American girls: The statistics of menarche.Obstet. Gynecol. Surgery 31: 325–337.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Portions of this research were presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Hartford, Conn., April 1980.
Received Ph.D. in psychology from Tufts University. Major interests are psychobiology and adolescent development.
Received Ph.D. in psychology from Clark University. Major interests are clinical psychology and personality development.
Received Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University. Major interest is cognitive development.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Koff, E., Rierdan, J. & Sheingold, K. Memories of menarche: Age, preparation, and prior knowledge as determinants of initial menstrual experience. J Youth Adolescence 11, 1–9 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537812
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537812