Self-assessment Of Sexual Maturation Research Articles

<b>Females and post-pubescent adolescents: groups with high exposure to the development of body image dissatisfaction in São Bonifácio, Santa Catarina State, Brazil

To determine the prevalence of body image dissatisfaction in adolescents and analyse associated factors. The sample under analysis comprised 278 adolescents, 10- to 17-year-old students from government schools in a small town in southern Brazil. Sociodemographic information was collected (age, sex, area of residence and educational level of family head), coupled to self-assessment of sexual maturation and body image perception (scale of body silhouettes). Frequency distribution was employed for statistical analysis; Student’s t test was applied for independent samples; chi-square and Fisher's exact test and Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment were used. The prevalence of body image dissatisfaction was 59.3%, or rather, higher among females (65.6%) than among males (53%). An association between body image and sexual maturation existed which revealed that post-pubescent adolescents were more likely to show body image dissatisfaction when compared to their pre-pubescent peers. Females and post-pubescent adolescents were more likely to feel body image dissatisfaction. Intervention programs may be proposed as strategies for the construction of a positive body image.

Pico de velocidade de crescimento como alternativa para classificação maturacional associada ao desempenho motor

Adolescence is a phase characterized by important physical and maturational alterations, with individuals of the same chronological age, but who are more mature, may present sportive advantages because of greater force gain and additional muscle mass. Thus, in studies evaluating motor skills of children and adolescents, maturational classification should be an efficient and easily applicable tool in order to facilitate the interpretation of the true relationship between maturation and motor performance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the relationship between motor performance and different types of classification of biological maturation in 209 boys aged to 17 years (11.59 ± 2.57) practicing soccer. Anthropometric variables were obtained according to the ISAK criteria. Biological maturation was determined based on age at peak height velocity (PHV) and also by self-assessment of sexual maturation (genitalia and pubic hair). Motor performance was evaluated by sit-and-reach tests, horizontal jump, modified push-ups, 50-m run, and 9/12-min run/walk. The results showed progression in the variables analyzed as the subjects reached maturity. Correlation analysis and the egression values indicated higher consistency for the PHV classification, which better explained motor performance according to maturational status, exceeding the values obtained by comparison according to age or sexual maturation. Thus, the use of PHV as a classification instrument is preferably recommended for youngsters with haracteristics similar to those of the present sample.

Comparison between objective assessment and self-assessment of sexual maturation in children and adolescents

To assess the correlations between objective assessment and self-assessment of sexual maturation in the outpatient and school settings.Three hundred and nineteen individuals, 178 (96 boys and 82 girls) from an outpatient clinic and 141 (73 boys and 68 girls) from public schools (8.3-18.7 years), of whom 73 individuals (39 girls an d 34 boys) had a body mass index above the 85th percentile, according to 2000 CDC Growth Chart, were analyzed. All of them were examined sequentially and individually by two trained physicians after a written consent form was signed by parents or surrogates, and then submitted to self-assessment using pictures (Tanner stages). Kappa coefficients between examiners and the self-assessment were calculated based on the collected data. A p value <5%was established as statistically significant.No significant difference was observed between correlations obtained from the outpatient clinic and schools, and both groups were combined for analysis. The correlations obtained by examiners were significantly higher than those from self-assessment, with a kappa coefficient (and confidence interval) of 0.75 (0.8-0.69) for breasts/genitals across examiners against 0.27 (0.34-0.20) and 0.29 (0.36-0.22) between the two examiners and the self-assessment (p < 0.0001).In the studied sample, self-assessment of the pubertal stage should not replace the objective assessment made by trained professionals. Improvement of the self-assessment method may validate its use in population-based studies.

Peak height velocity as an alternative for maturational classification associated with motor performance

Adolescence is a phase characterized by important physical and maturational alterations, with individuals of the same chronological age, but who are more mature, may present sportive advantages because of greater force gain and additional muscle mass. Thus, in studies evaluating motor skills of children and adolescents, maturational classification should be an efficient and easily applicable tool in order to facilitate the interpretation of the true relationship between maturation and motor performance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the relationship between motor performance and different types of classification of biological maturation in 209 boys aged to 17 years (11.59 ± 2.57) practicing soccer. Anthropometric variables were obtained according to the ISAK criteria. Biological maturation was determined based on age at peak height velocity (PHV) and also by self-assessment of sexual maturation (genitalia and pubic hair). Motor performance was evaluated by sit-and-reach tests, horizontal jump, modified push-ups, 50-m run, and 9/12-min run/walk. The results showed progression in the variables analyzed as the subjects reached maturity. Correlation analysis and the egression values indicated higher consistency for the PHV classification, which better explained motor performance according to maturational status, exceeding the values obtained by comparison according to age or sexual maturation. Thus, the use of PHV as a classification instrument is preferably recommended for youngsters with haracteristics similar to those of the present sample.

Self-Assessment of Sexual Maturation in Children and Adolescents with Diabetes Mellitus

To evaluate the reliability of a self-assessment tool as a surrogate means for estimating phase of sexual maturation in children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus. Children and adolescents between 8 and 16 years of age with the diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited from the pediatric endocrinology clinic at a children's hospital. Participants were given a series of gender-appropriate drawings representing the 5 Tanner stages of sexual maturation for genital development in boys and breast and genital development in girls and asked to select the illustration that best represented their current maturity stage. The self-assessments were compared with physical examination findings by pediatric endocrinologists. Demographic and clinical data including age, race, hemoglobin A1c level, type of diabetes, and body mass index were also collected. Agreement rates between participants and physician assessment were compared. A level of agreement greater than 80% and a kappa coefficient greater than 0.61 were considered substantial. Eighty-seven children and adolescents completed the study. Agreement rates for girls were greater than 80%. Agreement rates for boys were 76%. All kappa coefficients for boys and girls were greater than 0.61, corresponding to good agreement. However, peripubertal participants overestimated their sexual maturity rating almost half the time. The role of age, metabolic control (as measured by hemoglobin A1c), race, type of diabetes, and body mass index did not influence a participant's ability to accurately assess sexual maturity. While useful in mid- to late-pubertal youth with diabetes, this self-assessment tool does not appear to be helpful in identifying the early stages of puberty.

Are There Short Cuts to Pubertal Assessments? Self-Reported and Assessed Group Differences in Pubertal Development in African Adolescents

Purpose Self-rating of pubertal development using the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS) is recommended as a noninvasive assessment of puberty in large community-based surveys of adolescent development and behavior. The objective of this study was to assess the reliability of the PDS for the first time among urban, Black South African youth. Methods The concordance between adolescents’ self-assessment of sexual maturation using the PDS and those of an expert rating by a trained health professional using the Sexual Maturation Scale (SMS) were determined in a group (n = 182; 49% female) of Black South African youth aged between 10 and 18 years recruited from schools in Soweto, South Africa. Furthermore, the concordance between adolescents’ self-assessment of puberty using the PDS and a previously validated self-assessment technique using SMS was also determined in a large group (n = 1388; 53% female) of young adolescents aged 13 years old participating in a birth cohort from Soweto-Johannesburg. Results The convergent validity of PDS proved to be poor with several PDS items (facial hair, skin change, and growth) proving unreliable both within the school survey across the different age groups when compared to SMS (kappa coefficient of 0.34 for females and undetermined for males), as well as, within the cohort of 13-year-olds (kappa coefficient of 0.16 for females and 0.19 for males). Conclusions The results suggest that there may be as yet undocumented differences in pubertal manifestations and awareness of these manifestations, especially facial hair and skin change (acne), among urban, Black South African youth that make the PDS self-assessment less reliable as a pubertal assessment tool in multiethnic community-based research.

Prevalência de anemia e níveis séricos de hemoglobina em adolescentes segundo estágio de maturidade sexual

Durante a adolescência o crescimento acelerado promove um aumento nas necessidades nutricionais, inclusive de ferro, tornando os adolescentes um grupo de risco nutricional. O presente estudo objetivou avaliar a prevalência de anemia e os níveis séricos de hemoglobina de acordo com o estágio de maturidade sexual em uma amostra representativa composta por 272 adolescentes matriculados em escolas da rede municipal de ensino de Balneário Camboriú-SC. A auto-avaliação da maturidade sexual foi realizada segundo os critérios de Tanner (1962). Os níveis sangüíneos de hemoglobina foram medidos através do sistema HemoCue® e o diagnóstico de deficiência de ferro foi baseado no critério proposto pela Organização Mundial de Saúde (2001). Foram consideradas significativas as diferenças ao nível de p&lt;0,05. Foi encontrada prevalência de anemia de 31,2%, sem diferença significativa entre os sexos. Os níveis de hemoglobina foram significativamente maiores no sexo masculino (p=0,044) e não foi encontrada diferença significativa entre os valores médios de hemoglobina entre as meninas que haviam atingido a menarca e as que não a haviam atingido. Não foi encontrada associação entre a presença de anemia e o estágio de maturidade sexual dos adolescentes (chi2=1,17; p=0,56). Verificou-se aumento dos níveis séricos de hemoglobina de acordo com o desenvolvimento sexual no sexo masculino, enquanto no sexo feminino não foram encontradas diferenças estatísticas nestes valores com os sucessivos estágios puberais. Estes resultados demonstraram uma prevalência moderada de anemia e sugerem não haver relação entre a anemia e o desenvolvimento puberal na população estudada.

Self-assessment of sexual maturation in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of self-assessment of pubertal maturation and to determine the desired stage of pubertal maturity in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa. Methods: Standardized figure drawings depicting Tanner’s sexual maturation stages were given to a consecutive sample of 40 adolescent females with anorexia nervosa who were instructed to assess current and desired pubertal development. Pubertal development was assessed independently by two investigators. The percent agreement between physician and subject ratings was determined. Results: Percent agreement between physician and subject ratings was 30% for developmental stage for breasts and 50% for pubic hair. Subjects underestimated breast development 3.4 times as often as they overestimated it and overestimated pubic hair development 1.5 times as often as they underestimated it. Multivariate probit analysis showed that inaccuracy in breast self-assessment was inversely related to a desire for sexual maturity ( p < 0.05). Ninety percent of subjects stated that their desired stage of breast development was equal to or more mature than their present stage. Eighty percent stated that their desired stage of pubic hair development was equal to or more mature than their present stage. Conclusions: Self-assessment of sexual maturity by adolescents with anorexia nervosa using standardized figure drawings depicting Tanner’s stages is not accurate. Patients desiring a sexually immature body were most likely to be inaccurate in their self-assessment of their pubertal stage.

Self-assessment of sexual maturation in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa: Katherine Mary Hick, M.D., Debra K. Katzman, M.D. Dept. of Pediatrics, Hosp. for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Self-assessment of sexual maturation in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa: Katherine Mary Hick, M.D., Debra K. Katzman, M.D. Dept. of Pediatrics, Hosp. for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Self-assessment of pubertal maturation in socially disadvantaged learning-disabled adolescents

Reasonable concordance has been demonstrated between physicians assessment of pubertal maturation and self-assessment by healthy adolescents studying in the mainstream educational system. The purpose of this study was to determine whether pubertal maturation self-assessment may be used as a reliable screening instrument in learning-disabled adolescents. Self-assessment of sexual maturation, was investigated in 80 7th- and 8th-grade Israeli students studying in a residential school for socially disadvantaged learning-disabled adolescents of normal intelligence (LD group), and in 63 Israeli students of the same age group attending a mainstream urban school (C group). All 143 students were examined by one investigator for their annual physicals, and clinical assessment of Tanner stage was then performed. Following the examination students were asked to identify their present pubic hair maturation stage according to Tanner plates. Of the LD group, 58% assessed their pubertal stage in agreement with the investigator's assessment as did 70% of the C group. Underestimation of pubertal stage was more common in students more advanced in their pubertal development, and overestimation was more common among students who were less advanced in their maturation. Within approximation of one Tanner stage difference between the examiner and student assessments, concordance rate reached 95% in both groups. Self-assessment of pubertal development in school settings may be used as a reliable screening instrument in learning-disabled adolescents with normal intelligence, when an approximation of one developmental stage is accepted.

Self assessment of sexual maturation in socially disadvantaged learning disabled adolescents

Self assessment of sexual maturation in socially disadvantaged learning disabled adolescents

Adolescents' Self-Assessment of Sexual Maturation

The variability in time on onset and progression of puberty warrants the use of stage of sexual maturation rather than chronologic age in assessing biological and behavioral measures during adolescence. The necessity to undress the teenage has seriously curtailed the application of stage of sexual maturation to behavioral and developmental research. This study demonstrated that adolescents can accurately assess their own developmental stage according to Tanner's standard photographs. Self-ratings by 43 females, aged 9 to 17, and 23 males, 11 to 18, were compared to those based on physical examination by one of the investigators. Agreement with the physician rating occurred for breast stage in 37/43, for female pubic hair stage in 40/43, and for male combined pubic hair and genital stage in 21/23 (kappa coefficients: 0.81, 0.91, 0.88). The excellent agreement between physician and adolescent's assessment compared favorably with the interrater agreement of professionals. This study suggests the value of utilizing adolescent self-staging in research. In addition, this exercise provides teenagers with an objective way to understand the wide range of normal pubertal development and to follow their own sexual maturation.