Female Adolescent Development Research Articles

Does Exposure to Maltreatment in Childhood Contribute to Differences in Pain Outcomes in Adulthood?

Childhood maltreatment has been linked with chronic pain in adulthood, primarily through retrospective studies. Our ongoing longitudinal study in women with and without a history of documented childhood maltreatment (CM), the Female Adolescent Development Study (FADS), was leveraged to comprehensively and prospectively examine pain characteristics in a subset of adult women. Twenty-nine women (Mage=28.24, SD=1.19) with (n=15) and without (n=14) a history of CM completed surveys assessing the number of pain locations (widespread pain index, WPI) and severity of somatic symptoms (SS) over the past 3-months, the Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS) to assess pain intensity and interference over the past 6-months, and the Comprehensive Trauma Interview to assess interpersonal violence exposure in adulthood (IPVA). Independent samples t-tests were conducted to compare pain outcomes (WPI; SS; WPI + SS for a Total Symptom Score; and GCPS) between participants with and without a history of CM. We also explored the impact of IPVA on outcomes. Women with a history of CM reported more pain locations (MWPI=2.20 vs. 1.71, d=.19), greater symptom severity (MSS=5.67 vs. 3.86, Cohen's d=.60), and greater Total Symptom Scores (M=7.87 vs. 5.57, d=.49). Pain intensity and pain interference on the GCPS were also higher for women with a CM history (Mintensity=45.95 vs. 30.00, d=.64; Minterference=35.24 vs. 29.52, d=.19). Most women who experienced CM also experienced IPVA. Comparisons between those who experienced IPVA versus those who did not yield similar results to that of CM, with more robust effect sizes. Preliminary results suggest that women with a history of CM are at greater risk for chronic pain, pain interference, and higher severity of somatic symptoms in adulthood. This risk may be amplified among those who have experienced both CM and IPVA. The underlying mechanisms by which adversity influences risk for chronic pain needs further study. Supported by Cincinnati Children's Research Innovation/Pilot Funding Program - Grant number: RIP_020821-020722.

MORPHOFUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF DEVELOPMENT OF ADOLESCENTS

At present, the state of health of the child population is of concern, therefore, the preventive detection of functional disorders, and, accordingly, the prevention of the development of diseases is an interesting topic. The child’s body during all stages of its development experiences the action of a complex set of various factors that have both favorable and unfavorable effects. Adolescence is characterized by certain vulnerability, hormonal changes, which is an independent stress factor. Improving the quality of health, the adaptive capacity of the younger generation is possible only through the implementation of activities aimed at analyzing indicators of the level of health and physical development. The aim of our work was to study the morphological and functional indicators of the physical development of male and female adolescents. Based on the data obtained, it can be concluded that the main somatometric and physiometric indicators in male adolescents are higher than in females, which is the norm of physiological development at this age.

Features of the physical development of girls with different course of puberty and level of adaptive capabilities

The purpose of the study — to establish the features of the physical development of adolescent girls with the different course of puberty and to assess adaptive capabilities depending on the indicators of physical development and the course of puberty.Materials and methods: The examinations involved 57 girls aged 11 to 17 year who were divided into two groups depending on the presence of menstrual disorders. The first group included girls with physiological puberty. The second group consisted of girls with oligo­ or amenorrhea, and in isolated cases, with abnormal uterine bleeding, proio­ or polymenorrhea. The assessments included somatometric parameters, the results of the Ruffier test, the clinoortostatic test, cardiac morphometric indicators, and vascular reactivity according to Doppler ultrasound, the Kerdo index and Baevsky’s adaptive potential.Results and discussion. The significant frequency of tall and higher than average height was established as specific feature of girls regardless of the variant of puberty course (42.4 % with physiological and 42.8 % with pathological puberty). In general, the girls did not differ in height and body weight. In terms of Baevsky’s adaptive potential, 100 % of girls had a satisfactory adaptation level. The significant proportion of adolescent girls showed low exercise tolerance (63.7 % of girls with physiological and 50 % with pathological puberty). The high frequency of initial sympathy and the prevalence of normal vegetative support were recorded. Satisfactory and good results were more likely to be obtained by girls with puberty disorders. Girls with physiological puberty had a high incidence of hyperkinetic hemodynamic (37.5 % compared to 15.0 % in the second group, p < 0.05).The adaptive capabilities of girls with average height did not differ between groups with various puberty course. The tall girls of the first group had the higher frequency of the hyperkinetic type of hemodynamics, combined with best indices of vascular reactivity: two thirds of subjects demonstrated adequate increase in the diameter of the brachial artery in the sample with reactive hyperemia. In girls with menstrual dysfunction, the acceleration of growth was not accompanied by activation of the sympathoadrenal system, but they showed better results of exercise test. It could be assumed that presence of sexual hormones’ imbalance with testosterone prevalence, promotes these results and increases endurance of girls. However, the isolated Ruffier test does not fully reflect the satisfactory adaptation of an adolescent’s body. It is necessary to compare the results of the functional study of adolescent girls with the peculiarities of their hormonal status.Conclusions. A big proportion of girls with tall and higher than average height is the peculiarity of physical development of modern female adolescents. In the absence of pathology of puberty, the adaptive reactions of a body of an adolescent girl are characterized by increased exposure to the sympathoadrenal system. The use of Baevsky’s adaptive potential, calculated for adolescent patients, does not allow even screening to identify individuals at risk of stress or adaptation failure, which indicates the need to expand the scope of examination of adolescents using functional tests and calculation coefficients.

Identity Development of Female Adolescents Belonging to Illegal Armed Groups in Colombia

The article presents the results of the research on the identity of the female adolescent soldiers who, at the time of the study, were in the Colombian government’s rehabilitation programs. The life history interviews methodology was used, 20 adolescents and young women participated, with an average age of 18.9 years. When they entered the illegal armed groups, they had an average of 12.5 years and remained in the groups an average of 4.4 years. From the narratives of the participants, it was discovered that the development of their identity went through three key moments: the first is the product of family interactions, and it is expressed in the tension of assuming the traditional role of women and the decision to join to illegal groups; the second is the result of their permanence in the groups and is defined by the strong masculine culture of war; and the third moment is a consequence of the transit of these women through of the governmental rehabilitation programs, and it is characterized by assuming control of their lives from the exercise of citizenship.

Socioeconomic status is a predictor of neurocognitive performance of early female adolescents.

Previous studies have shown that high socioeconomic status (SES) is significantly associated with inhibitory control, working memory, verbal comprehension and IQ. However, in the Asian setting, with its prevailing poverty, information about the influence of SES on cognitive development of female adolescents is limited. This study was aimed to investigate the association between SES and neurocognitive performance of early female adolescents in Sri Lanka. Female adolescents aged 11-14 years (n = 200) of low and middle SES were studied to assess neurocognitive function. After obtaining baseline data, eight subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC - IV), Test Of Nonverbal Intelligence (TONI-3) and two computer-based executive function tests (inhibition and visuo-spatial working memory) were administered to assess neurocognitive measures of the above adolescents. The results were compiled into a data base and analyzed using SPSS version 20 statistical software. Higher SES was associated with higher performance in all neurocognitive tests. Low SES adolescents obtained significantly poor test scores for executive function test (inhibitory control: p < 0.0001) and for WISC [verbal comprehension index (VCI): p < 0.0001), working memory index (WMI): p < 0.0001 and estimated full scale IQ (EFSIQ): p < 0.0001)] when compared with middle SES adolescents. Maternal education alone significantly predicts VCI and EFSIQ than the combined influence of parental education, occupation and income. Psychosocial adversities of adolescents were inversely correlated with VCI (r = -0.30; p < 0.001) and EFSIQ (r = -0.20; p < 0.001) of WISC and mathematics performance (r = -0.34; p < 0.001) at examination in school. Findings of the study revealed the importance of upliftment of SES of the society to improve the cognitive and academic outcomes of low SES individuals.

Adolescent development of insula-dependent interoceptive regulation.

Adolescence is hypothesized to be a critical period for the maturation of self-regulatory capacities, including those that depend on interoceptive sensitivity, but the neural basis of interoceptive regulation in adolescence is unknown. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging and psychophysiology to study interoceptive regulation in healthy adolescent females. Participants regulated their gut activities in response to a virtual roller coaster by deep breathing aided by visually monitoring their online electrogastrogram (EGG) activity through a virtual thermometer (i.e. gut biofeedback), or without biofeedback. Analyses focused on the insula, given its putative role in interoception. The bilateral posterior insula showed increased activation in the no-biofeedback compared to biofeedback condition, suggesting that the participants relied more on interoceptive input when exteroceptive feedback was unavailable. The bilateral dorsal anterior insula showed activation linearly associated with age during both induction and regulation, and its activation during regulation correlated positively with change of EGG in the tachygastria frequency band from induction to regulation. Induction-related activation in the bilateral ventral anterior insula was nonlinearly associated with age and peaked at mid-adolescence. These results implicate different developmental trajectories of distinct sub-regions of the insula in interoceptive processes, with implications for competing neurobiological theories of female adolescent development.

The influence of peer groups in organized sport on female adolescents' identity development

IntroductionEngagement in the process of identity development has been identified as the most significant milestone of adolescence (Erikson, 1968) and peer groups serve as a key facilitator in this process (Kroger, 2007). Peer groups are particularly significant in the lives of female adolescents, as females derive a substantial part of their identity through these relationships (Josselson, 1987). Despite the significance of personal identity development in adolescence and the importance of peer groups in this process, this area has not been explored in the extant sport psychology literature. PurposeTo investigate the potential influence of peer groups in organized sport on female adolescent identity development. MethodsData were collected through photo-elicitation and semistructured interviews of eight female athletes between the ages of 13 and 17 years. Participants in the study played a variety of sports and competed at various levels. Data were analysed using a thematic narrative approach. ResultsParticipant stories suggest that interactions with peers in sport assist female adolescent athletes in developing their psychological (including emotional and intellectual), social, and physical selves. ConclusionStories shared by the female athletes suggest that a relationship exists between peer influence and identity development in sport. Findings are interpreted through Erikson's (1968) Theory of Psychosocial Development and the nature of the relationships in which peer influence on identity development occurs are discussed. Recommendations for future research are proposed.

Contamination in the Prospective Study of Child Maltreatment and Female Adolescent Health.

To evaluate the impact of contamination, or the presence of child maltreatment in a comparison condition, when estimating the broad, longitudinal effects of child maltreatment on female health at the transition to adulthood. The Female Adolescent Development Study (N = 514; age range: 14-19 years) used a prospective cohort design to examine the effects of substantiated child maltreatment on teenage births, obesity, major depression, and past-month cigarette use. Contamination was controlled via a multimethod strategy that used both adolescent self-report and Child Protective Services records to remove cases of child maltreatment from the comparison condition. Substantiated child maltreatment significantly predicted each outcome, relative risks = 1.47-2.95, 95% confidence intervals: 1.03-7.06, with increases in corresponding effect size magnitudes, only when contamination was controlled using the multimethod strategy. Contamination truncates risk estimates of child maltreatment and controlling it can strengthen overall conclusions about the effects of child maltreatment on female health.

Gender Discrimination in Disabled Adolescents: An Analysis of Psychological Adjustment in a Cosmopolitan City in Pakistan

The research focuses on gender discrimination in the psychological adjustment of adolescents with disabilities growing up in Pakistan. In the light of the literature review, it was assumed that disabled male adolescents would show greater levels of psychological adjustment as compared to disabled female adolescents. The sample population consisted of a total of 100 disabled adolescents experiencing visual, auditory or physical disabilities. The hypothesis was strongly supported by the results (t(98)=2.576, p<.05(.012)) as disabled male adolescents were found to rank higher on levels of psychological adjustment as compared to disabled female adolescents. Gender discrimination hence emerges as a significant issue for disabled adolescents. The research carries implications for clinicians and educationists alike, as well as policymakers; especially with regard to the development of male and female adolescents in the existing cultural milieu in Pakistan.

Why George? Hagiographic Elements in Matute’s Primera memoria

Since its publication in 1960, Ana Maria Matute’s novel, Primera memoria, has earned substantial amounts of scholarship and a place in the canon as it pertains to Spanish Peninsular literature of the twentieth century. Its continued relevance has much to do with its discursive and thematic richness, fruitfully explored by readers. Primera memoria takes place on the island of Mallorca during the first months of the Spanish Civil War. Among other topics, its fourteen-year-old narrator, Matia, alludes to class tensions, youthful rivalries, feelings of estrangement, her love of fairy tales, mysterious adults, the conversos known as chuetas, expectations for girls, and unsettling violence. Studies of the text have examined it principally as a bildungsroman and a political allegory, centering on aspects such as Biblical motifs, symbols, archetypes, myths, female adolescent development and so on. One prominent element, however, has not received sustained attention—the legend of St. George, both as set forth in medieval hagiography and as manifested in folk customs. The present article seeks to pursue this line of inquiry: in view of the enigmatic character named Jorge de Son Mayor and the repeated references to San Jorge at the local church: how does parsing the saint’s tradition inflect and enrich our readings of Matute’s book? In other words, why George?

Attitudes Of Turkish People Living In Belgium Towards Euthanasia

To study the difference of Han female adolescent bone development in Henan and Zhejiang province. All radiography including sternal end of clavicle and six main bone joints were taken from 599 female adolescents with age between 12 to 19 in Henan and Zhejiang province. Twenty four skeletal development indexes were analyzed based on "The Grading Standards" of skeletal growth of teenagers and then the bone age were calculated using mathematical model functions. The ratios of the bone age and the chronological age were analyzed by statistical software. The development of Henan female adolescents' skeleton was about 0.39 years earlier than that in Zhejiang at the age of 14-15 years old. The development of Henan female adolescents' skeleton was about 0.37 years later than that in Zhejiang at the age of 15-16 years old. The development of Henan female adolescents' skeleton was about 0.38 years later than that in Zhejiang at the age of 18-19 years old. There was no statistics significance in other age group. The female adolescent bone development in Henan province is faster at earlier stage and then slower than that in Zhejiang province. The results provide potential value for the forensic medicine, anthropology and clinical medicine.

Age of Onset, Nutritional Determinants, and Seasonal Variations in Menarche in Rural Bangladesh

Menarche is an important milestone in the development of female adolescents. The study assessed the age at menarche using recall, its seasonality, and association with marital and nutritional status (using mid-upper arm circumference [MUAC]) among 3,923 female adolescents aged 12-19 years in a rural area of Bangladesh. At the time of assessment, most (88%) adolescents had attained menarche at the mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 12.8 (1.4) years. Age of onset of menarche among married adolescents (13%) occurred earlier than in those who were unmarried (12.6 +/- 1.3 years vs 12.9 +/- 1.4 years, p < 0.01). Age at menarche was negatively associated with MUAC after adjusting for age and marital status (beta = -0.10, p < 0.01). More than 50% of the adolescents had an onset of menarche during winter (chi2 = 634.97; p < 0.001), with peaks in December and January. In this rural population, the current age at menarche was found to be slightly lower than the previous estimates of 13.0 years in Bangladesh. An early onset of menarche was associated with season and better nutritional status of the female adolescents and may be associated with early marriage.

Persephone Rising: Struggles in Female Adolescent Development in the Aftermath of Rape

Using formulations of female sexual development grounded in the Persephone/Demeter myth, this paper examines the treatment of two adolescent girls in the aftermath of rape. Case material is presented that illustrates the impact of rape on a developing adolescent girl’s relationship with her mother and on the transference to a female therapist. The nature of the mother/daughter relationship prior to the rape influences not only the treatment but the capacity of both mother and daughter to cope with the trauma of the daughter’s rape. Countertransference reactions and enactments related to developmental issues of separation/individuation as they are impacted by the trauma of rape and as they influence the course of treatment are examined in order to heighten awareness of possible pitfalls in treatment.

Elizabeth Perl: Psychotherapy With Adolescent Girls and Young Women: Fostering Autonomy Through Attachment

Psychotherapy with Adolescent Girls and Young Women: Fostering Autonomy through Attachment by clinical psychologist Elizabeth Perl is based on her considerable and diverse experiences working with female adolescents and young adults. In the introduction to her text, Dr. Perl identifies ‘‘the [female adolescent’s] struggle around attachment and self-direction’’ as a central feature in her patients’ therapeutic interactions (p. 9). Her introductory synopsis also describes psychotherapy as the process of ‘‘providing patients with an experience of connection and separation that differs from that which they had with their mothers’’ (p. 9). These introductory statements forecast both the noteworthy strengths and limitations of the text: The book offers a solid conceptual perspective of female adolescent development that is grounded in relational frameworks, yet the aptness, richness, and number of case illustrations devoted to young adult women exceeds those devoted to adolescents. In Chap. 1, ‘‘The Mother-Daughter Bond and Its Implications for Understanding the Therapeutic Relationship,’’ Dr. Perl defines her use of the concepts of attachment and autonomy by drawing upon the contributions of attachment theorists such as Ainsworth, Blos, and Bowlby as well as those of Chodorow, Benjamin, and Gilligan specific to the relational development of girls and women. Dr. Perl also draws on the somewhat less known yet pertinent work of Allen and Land, Doctors, Marohn, and Ryan and Lynch, all of whom have furthered our understanding of attachment, individuation, and autonomy in adolescent development and functioning. Given Dr. Perl’s relational perspective, it is somewhat surprising that she does not reference the contributions of Judith Jordan and Irene Stiver who have added to our knowledge of female development in the context of familial and therapeutic relationships. Dr. Perl’s articulation of opportunity and risk in the therapeutic dynamics of attachment and autonomy rings true for work with younger adolescents girls as well as young adult women. Dr. Perl identifies how an adolescent’s ‘‘acting out within therapy may serve both to rebel against therapeutic influence and to pull for protective intervention’’ (p. 15). She acknowledges the potential for strong emotional reactions on the clinician’s part when an intervention is critically warranted yet rejected by the patient. The following dynamic dimensions are noted in this first chapter and more fully developed in the remaining chapters: the ‘‘hostile-dependent bond’’ (p. 26) that may exist between mother and daughter (as well as therapist and patient), how ‘‘parental dependence can undermine a daughter’s autonomy’’ (p. 35), and the extent to which ‘‘therapists cannot escape the pitfalls associated with attachment’’ (p. 38). Several chapters of the text address resistance and the permutations of resistance as they emerge in therapy with female adolescents and young adult women. Dr. Perl demonstrates acute respect for resistance as an adaptive function as well as a defensive one. She carefully delineates several adaptive functions in her chapter on ‘‘Embracing Resistance and Building Attachment.’’ Embracing resistance represents an invaluable enjoiner to beginning practitioners who often fear rather than embrace resistance and need to be reminded of the understandable developmental and treatment-specific aspects of resistance. Embracing resistance is often central to creating the protected holding space that Dr. Perl describes in her chapter on ‘‘Challenging Resistance and Sustaining C. Springer (&) Salem State College School of Social Work, Salem, MA, USA e-mail: cspringer@salemstate.edu

In a different position: Conceptualizing female adolescent sexuality development within compulsory heterosexuality

This chapter challenges forthcoming research on adolescent female sexuality to take more seriously the role of dominant cultural ideologies regarding heterosexuality and to consider its theoretical and methodological implications.

I. Found(ing) Discourses of Desire: Unfettering Female Adolescent Sexuality

This special feature takes stock of the current landscape of theory, practice and research on female adolescent sexuality in the wake of Michelle Fine’s seminal 1988 Harvard Educational Review article, ‘Sexuality, Schooling, and Adolescent Females: The Missing Discourse of Desire’. Using a bevy of feminist analyses of how the oppression of female sexuality functions as a primary force in the overall oppression of women, Fine’s paper opened many new doors for feminist scholars of sexuality. This paper interjected feminist analyses into mainstream psychology’s perspectives on sexuality as a key feature of female adolescent development and education. Relying on multiple methods that rested heavily on the voices of actual girls, in a richly contextualized ethnography Fine avoided the simplistic blaming tactics – blaming the ‘victims’, blaming the teachers – so often lurking below the surface of such research. The denial of female adolescent sexuality through the sanctioned discourses of victimization, vulnerability and morality was laid bare, and the missing discourse of girls’ sexual desire is now a significant discourse of research, theory and practice focused on girls’ sexuality. The inclusion of, indeed the reliance on, the perspectives of young women marginalized by race (African-American and Latina) and class (poor) as positive informants rather than subjects of surveillance or suspected ‘bad girls’ marked another notable turn. Fine, in offering a model for weaving together primary empirical research with policy analysis in a new and significant way, also made not-so-subtle demands on feminist scholars to find more multidimensional approaches for putting pressure on existing systems through radical scholarship. In acknowledgement of the recent 15-year anniversary of its publication, this special feature explores and illustrates the new avenues of research and theory, as well as the inclusion of new forms of practice, that have sprung from Fine’s

Separation from Parents in Late Adolescence: The Same for Boys and Girls?

This study examined the way late adolescents separate from their parents. Emotional independence and conflictual independence toward mother and father were assessed. Emotional independence was defined as freedom from an excessive need for emotional support from the parents and conflictual independence as absence of guilt, mistrust, and anger toward parents. Students (18–22 years; N = 190) enrolled in higher education completed two scales of Hoffmann's Psychological Separation Inventory. Results indicated that girls more than boys need emotional support from their mothers (z = −3.101, p < .002). They express this need significantly more towards their mothers than towards their fathers (z = −4.194, p < .00003). The pattern of the girls' typical items demonstrated an ambivalence between reported dependence and demand for autonomy. The two types of independence (emotional and conflictual) were moderately correlated (r s = ∼.40). These findings support Gilligan's argument that connectedness plays a central role in the development of female adolescents. They speak for a multidimensional approach of the psychological separation process, which takes the type of independence and the children's and parents' gender into account.

Dissertations of Note

Dissertations of Note Elizabeth Mayfield (bio) and Rachel Fordyce (bio) Applebaum, Susan Rae. "Mentor Mothers and Female Adolescent Protagonists: Rethinking Children's Theatre History Through Burnett's The Little Princess (1903), Chorpenning's Cinderella (1940), and Zeder's Mother Hicks (1983)." Ph.D. diss. Northwestern University, 1998. 253 pp. DAI 59:1401A. This study uses theories of feminist dramatic criticism, semiotics, and women's psychological development to examine the intersection of children's theater history and changing theories of the mother-daughter relation. Applebaum argues that theatrical representation of female adolescent protagonists and their relationships with mothers both deny and affirm twentieth-century theories of female adolescent development. Analysis of the three representative works reveals ambivalences toward gendered stereotypes of their day, and these resulted in alternative readings. "Resistant representations in the turn-of-the-century work of Burnett and the mid-century work of Chorpenning, and a revisionist representation by Zeder after the women's movement of the seventies, offer a genealogy for the 'mentor mother' paradigm of mother-daughter relationships. This model gives subjectivity to both the maternal figure and the adolescent girl, extends the view of mother beyond the biological, and allows for autonomy without sacrificing emotional connection." Benson, Linda Gayle. "The Constructed Child: Femininity in Beverly Cleary's Ramona Series." Ph.D. diss. Illinois State University, 1997. 247 pp. DAI 58:3116A. After examining the way feminine roles may be constructed and replicated, and how these dynamics play out in the seven Ramona novels, Benson reveals the conflicts between explicit and implicit gender ideologies that extend through the depiction of female relationships, parental roles, and the discourse community represented by Ramona's school experiences. Benson concludes with a discussion of constructivist composition theory that suggests "pedagogical strategies by which students may question ideological constructs which position them as constructs within the dominate hegemony." She suggests that applying the concept of interrogation to reading and writing practices in college-level children's literature classes "allows students to develop an awareness of how texts inculcate on explicit and implicit levels particular subject positions." Black, Kathleen Alison. "The Use of Children's Literature to Promote Anti-Bias Education: A Transactional Study of Teachers' Use and Student Response." Ph.D. diss. Syracuse University, 1997. 425 pp. DAI 58:4598A. Black's qualitative study explores the "transactions that occur among teachers, students, and children's literature when that literature is used to promote anti-bias education." Based on the concept of literary transactions discussed by Rosenblatt and the concept of anti-bias education (Derman-Sparks and the A. B. C. Task Force), the methodology developed for this study is a transactional ethnography, a research strategy that examines specific routine events through the transactions that comprise such events. Findings suggest that transaction is embedded in the notion of the classroom community affecting and being affected by a teacher's specific use of literature, including book selection and teaching. [End Page 275] Bloem, Patricia Lynn. "A Case Study of American Young Adult Response to International Literature." Ph.D. diss. Kent State University, 1997. 223 pp. DAI 58:4537A. Bloem's study tests the metaphor of the bridge to describe how international literature links readers to another country or culture by examining the ways six eighth-grade American students read international literature. Based on reader response theory nested in the broader context of multiculturalism and literacy studies, her data analysis reveals that students make meaning personally and passionately, experience the books visually and through their senses, identify with characters, and enter imaginatively into settings in the books. Students expressed considerable metacognitive awareness and were amazed at the similarities that: humans share throughout the world, although their responses suggest that the bridge metaphor is "more complex than it first appears" and that "each reader's bridge is a unique structure." Bowles-Reyer, Amy Grace. "Our Secret Garden: American Popular Young Adult Literature in the 1970s and the Transmission of Sexual and Gender Ideology to Adolescent Girls." Ph.D. diss. George Washington University, 1998. 335 pp. DAI 58:4649A. This dissertation analyzes young adult literature for girls written in the 1970s to demonstrate the influence of the contemporary women's movement on this literature. Focusing specifically...

Morality and Sexual Issues in Older Adolescent Females

A follow-up study to Carol Gilligan’s work in female adolescent moral development was conducted in the presentation of a hypothetical moral sexual situation to eight older, culturally diverse adolescent females in their first year of college. The naming of a “Good Friend’s” conflict and the personal moral reasoning of the interviewees were audiotaped, transcribed and analyzed using a sequence of four readings as subscribed by Gilligan and her associates. Examples of Justice reasoning, a Care reasoning, and an Integrated moral reasoning are presented along with suggestions for educators and therapists.

Adherence to the Super Woman ideal and eating disorder symptoms among college women

The degree to which three components of the Super Woman construct of femininity [C. Steiner-Adair (1986) “The Body Politic: Normal Female Adolescent Development and the Development of Eating Disorders” Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, Vol. 14, pp. 95–114], valuing physical appearance, striving for success in multiple roles, and insecure parental attachment, are related to eating disorder symptoms was examined for a sample of 156 college women (84% white, 6% African American, 6% Asian, 3% Latina, 1% another race). Canonical analysis yielded three significant roots, suggesting a complex relationship between components of the Super Woman model and eating disorder symptoms. The first root supports the hypothesized relationship between the three components of the Super Woman model and eating disorder symptoms. The second root suggests that striving for success, when accompanied by a context of secure parental attachment, is positively associated with measures of social competence. The third root highlights the contribution of an emphasis on physical appearance to weight concern, dieting, and bulimic behavior.