Abstract
Onset of puberty is known to be a stressful period of life. The young adolescent must face several simultaneous developmental challenges, which are reflected as a gap in self-image. In this study, relationships between biological pubertal events and self-image were analyzed in a sample of 59 healthy adolescent boys from the Helsinki area. Detailed information on pubertal development was collected by a pediatrician at three-month intervals. The subjects filled in the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire at 13 and at 14 years and were interviewed by a child psychiatrist. During the year, self-image increased in four domains: Impulse Control, Emotional Tone, Sexual Attitudes, and Psychopathology. The changes in the first two domains were related to pubertal events. In contrast, changes in emotional health and in sexual attitudes did not correlate with bodily changes or testosterone. As regards body image, differences were not found in relation to age, but in relation to genital stages. These findings indicate that some aspects of self-image develop as a function of psychological and cognitive maturation, while other aspects are related to biological events.
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Sinkkonen, J., Anttila, R. & Siimes, M.A. Pubertal Maturation and Changes in Self-Image in Early Adolescent Finnish Boys. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 27, 209–218 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021615829788
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021615829788