Thai Girls Research Articles

Culture and Gender Influence Self-Construal in Mother-Preschooler Reminiscing

ABSTRACT The present study examined how culture and gender influence the self-construal of mothers and their four-year-olds during dyadic reminiscing. Participants were 21 Thai (11 girls, 10 boys) and 21 American (10 girls, 11 boys) mother-child dyads. Thai dyads exhibited a more interdependent self-construal, whereas American dyads exhibited a more independent self-construal, as measured by personal and group pronoun usage and discussions of behavioral expectations, thoughts and feelings, and personal attributes. Girls and boys differed in the extent to which their self-construal was defined in relation to others in their social groups, for example girls mentioned teachers and classmates more than boys. Culture and gender also interacted in influencing self-construal, with Thai girls (but not boys) mentioning family members more than American counterparts. These findings suggest that the development of children’s self-construal, particularly the extent to which children are socialized to view and express themselves independently of others or interdependently with others, differs depending on culture and gender. This work contributes to our understanding of the relationship between autobiographical memory and self during the formative years. Starting as early as preschool, our social environment influences the way we remember our experiences, which in turn shapes our self-construal.

Deconstruction of the Discourse of Femininity: A Case of Thai Girls’ Schools

Summary The study investigates the construction of femininity ideologies of girls-only school websites in Thailand and deconstructs them for analysis at the lexical level. Ideological beliefs underlying the custom of upbringing of young women in Thai cultural contexts are the focus of investigation. We pay a particular attention to how the schools communicate their key messages of vision, mission, core values, and about us on their websites and conduct a corpus-driven discourse analysis on the data. Findings from running tests of frequency and collocation reveal the traits of femininity constructed in the discourse, built the praising of obedience, submissiveness and lady-like features. We conclude that benevolent sexism is a common cultural practice evident in educational institutions.

Higher phthalate concentrations are associated with precocious puberty in normal weight Thai girls.

The cause of precocious puberty may be associated with genetics and other conditions such as central nervous system (CNS) insults, or the exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Phthalates is known to be one of the EDCs and have estrogenic and antiandrogenic activities, and may be associated with advanced puberty. The objective of the study was to determine the association between urinary phthalate metabolites and advanced puberty. A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with precocious puberty (breast onset <8 years, n=42) and early puberty (breast onset 8-9 years, n=17), compared to age-matched controls (n=77). Anthropometric measurements, estradiol, basal and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)-stimulated follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels, uterine sizes, ovarian diameters and bone ages (BA) were obtained. Urine samples were collected and mono-methyl phthalate (MMP) and mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP) were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and adjusted with urine creatinine. The median adjusted-MEP concentration in girls with precocious puberty, was greater than in normal girls (6105.09 vs. 4633.98 μg/g Cr: p<0.05), and had the same trend among early puberty and normal puberty (5141.41 vs. 4633.98 μg/g Cr: p=0.4), but was not statistically significant. Precocious puberty girls had an association with increased MEP concentration. This is the first report of the association between urinary phthalate levels and precocious puberty in Thai girls.

Increased levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in Thai girls with precocious puberty.

Reports on the secular trend of pubertal onset indicate a recent earlier start especially in girls. Bisphenol A (BPA), which posses estrogenic activity, might be a cause of advanced puberty. The objective of the study was to determine the association between BPA and advanced puberty. A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients with advanced puberty (n=41) compared to age-matched controls (n=47). Anthropometric measurements, estradiol, basal and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)-stimulated follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels, uterine sizes, ovarian diameters and bone ages were obtained. Urinary BPA concentrations were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MSMS) with the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 0.05 ng/mL. The median adjust-BPA concentration in advanced puberty group was higher than in control groups [1.44 vs. 0.59 μg/g creatinine (Cr): p<0.05]. We also found that the median adjust-BPA concentration in girls with advanced puberty who were overweight/obese, was greater than in the normal pubertal overweight/obese girls (1.74 vs. 0.59 μg/g Cr: p<0.05), and was in the same trend among normal weight girls with advanced and normal puberty (0.83 vs. 0.49 μg/g Cr: p=0.09), but not statistically significant. The present findings suggest that BPA exposure appears to be related to an earlier age at onset of puberty especially in obese girls.

Sexually transmitted diseases in symptomatic and asymptomatic Thai women and girls: a study from Bangkok and nearby

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections among women and girls may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. Objectives: To survey and identify C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, and HPV infections in symptomatic and asymptomatic women and girls in Bangkok and surrounding neighborhoods using molecular techniques, evaluate the use of doxycycline treatment for clinically symptomatic patients infected with C. trachomatis, and identify possible genetic mutations associated with persistence and/or drug resistance. Method: We enrolled 150 women and girls with inflamed urogenital tracts and 134 asymptomatic controls, both without a history of HIV infection or cervical cancer in this prospective study. Genomic DNAs were extracted, and C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, and HPV infections were detected using established PCR primers and protocols. PCR controls included no confirmatory template controls or human β-globin. Patients infected with C. trachomatis were treated with doxycycline and re-examined after treatment. C. trachomatis major outer membrane (ompA) and tryptophan synthesis A (trpA) genes were sequenced to identify possible genetic mutations associated with persistence and/or drug resistance. Results: C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, and HPV were detected in 22%, 6%, and 48% of symptomatic, and in 3%, 16%, and 10% of asymptomatic women and girls, respectively. Coinfection with C. trachomatis and HPV were frequent in the 15-34 year age group, and associated with upper urogenital tract symptoms. Doxycycline was not considered effective for C. trachomatis infection. Several nonconserved amino acid changes were detected in C. trachomatis ompA and trpA. Conclusion: We found different distributions of these pathogens among symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. We also found doxycycline treatment failures, and mutated trpA supported persistent C. trachomatis infections.

The age of onset of pubertal development in healthy Thai girls in Khon Kaen, Thailand

Background: Onset of puberty has shifted toward a younger age in the 21 st century. The useful pubertal assessment in the individual child must be based on recent and reliable reference data from the same population. However, currently representative pubertal data for Thai girls are lacking. Objective: We determined the current prevalence and mean ages at onset of pubertal characteristics in healthy urban Thai girls in Khon Kaen Province, northeast Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between January and July 2011. Five hundred and three schoolgirls aged 7 to 16 years were enrolled. All were in good physical health. Stages of breast and pubic hair development were rated on girls by Tanner’s criteria. Assessment was performed by a trained pediatrician. Data on menstruation were collected by the status quo method. Results: Median (range) ages of the onset of thelarche and pubarche were 9.3 (7.8 to 13.4) and 10.8 (8.9 to 14.5) years, with the mean±SD of 10.1±1.2 and 11.6±1.2 years, respectively. One hundred and eighteen girls had experienced menstruation. The median (range) age of menarche was 11.2 (10.0 to 14.0) years. Mean age was 11.6±0.8 years. The mean ages of pubarche and menarche decreased from the previous study significantly (p <0.001). Conclusions: The secular trend in decline of the ages of pubarche and menarche were observed in urban Khon Kaen Thai girls. These data can be used as the reference of normal pubertal development in Thai girls in Khon Kaen to determine precocious or delayed puberty.

The age of onset of pubertal development in healthy Thai girls in Khon Kaen, Thailand

Background: Onset of puberty has shifted toward a younger age in the 21st century. The useful pubertal assessment in the individual child must be based on recent and reliable reference data from the same population. However, currently representative pubertal data for Thai girls are lacking. Objective: We determined the current prevalence and mean ages at onset of pubertal characteristics in healthy urban Thai girls in Khon Kaen Province, northeast Thailand. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between January and July 2011. Five hundred and three schoolgirls aged 7 to 16 years were enrolled. All were in good physical health. Stages of breast and pubic hair development were rated on girls by Tanner’s criteria. Assessment was performed by a trained pediatrician. Data on menstruation were collected by the status quo method. Results: Median (range) ages of the onset of thelarche and pubarche were 9.3 (7.8 to 13.4) and 10.8 (8.9 to 14.5) years, with the mean?SD of 10.1?1.2 and 11.6?1.2 years, respectively. One hundred and eighteen girls had experienced menstruation. The median (range) age of menarche was 11.2 (10.0 to 14.0) years. Mean age was 11.6?0.8 years. The mean ages of pubarche and menarche decreased from the previous study significantly (p Conclusions: The secular trend in decline of the ages of pubarche and menarche were observed in urban Khon Kaen Thai girls. These data can be used as the reference of normal pubertal development in Thai girls in Khon Kaen to determine precocious or delayed puberty. Keywords: Menarche, pubarche, pubertal maturation, thelarche

Ethnic differences in the relationship between body mass index and percentage body fat among Asian children from different backgrounds

Overweight and obesity in Asian children are increasing at an alarming rate; therefore a better understanding of the relationship between BMI and percentage body fat (%BF) in this population is important. A total of 1039 children aged 8-10 years, encompassing a wide BMI range, were recruited from China, Lebanon, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. Body composition was determined using the 2H dilution technique to quantify total body water and subsequently fat mass, fat-free mass and %BF. Ethnic differences in the BMI-%BF relationship were found; for example, %BF in Filipino boys was approximately 2 % lower than in their Thai and Malay counterparts. In contrast, Thai girls had approximately 2.0 % higher %BF values than in their Chinese, Lebanese, Filipino and Malay counterparts at a given BMI. However, the ethnic difference in the BMI-%BF relationship varied by BMI. Compared with Caucasian children of the same age, Asian children had 3-6 units lower BMI at a given %BF. Approximately one-third of the obese Asian children (%BF above 25 % for boys and above 30 % for girls) in the study were not identified using the WHO classification and more than half using the International Obesity Task Force classification. Use of the Chinese classification increased the sensitivity. Results confirmed the necessity to consider ethnic differences in body composition when developing BMI cut-points and other obesity criteria in Asian children.

Girls with early puberty attain a near-final height similar to their target height

The median age at thelarche in Thai girls has decreased from 10.3 to 9.4 years over the last 20 years. An age at thelarche of 7.0-9.0 years, which is earlier than in the general population, is considered as early puberty. To study the pattern of pubertal development in Thai girls with early puberty. A total of 104 girls with breast development at 7.0-9.0 years who attended Songklanagarind Hospital between 2003 and 2005 were followed up until they attained their near-final height (NFH). The mean age at initial evaluation was 8.5 +/- 1.0 years. The average age at menarche and on attaining NFH was 10.2 +/- 0.9 and 12.6 +/- 0.4 years, respectively. The average NFH was 154.0 +/- 4.9 cm, which was similar to the target height of 153.1 +/- 4.8 cm. Comparison of girls who were normal weight and obese (weight-for-height >120%) revealed that the latter had an earlier age at menarche (9.8 +/- 0.8 vs. 10.5 +/- 0.8 years, p<0.01) and reached their NFH at a younger age (12.2 +/- 0.4 vs. 12.9 +/- 0.4 years, p=0.02). However, normal-weight and obese girls reached approximately the same NFH (155.8 +/- 4.8 vs. 153.1 +/- 4.0 cm, p=0.058). Girls with early puberty attained NFH similar to their genetic potential. Obese girls attained NFH at an earlier age and had the same NFH as normal-weight girls.

Developmental Gender Differences for Overhand Throwing in Aboriginal Australian Children

In a review of 46 meta-analyses of gender differences, overhand throwing had the largest gender difference favoring boys (ES > 3.0). Expectations for gender-specific performances may be less pronounced in female Australian Aborigines, because historical accounts state they threw for defense and hunting. Overhand throwing velocities and kinematics were recorded in 30 female and male Aboriginal Australian children 6-10 years old. Results indicated the Aboriginal girls and boys were more similar in horizontal ball velocities than U.S. girls and boys. Throwing kinematics between girls and boys were also more similar in Australian Aborigines than U.S. children. Aboriginal girls threw with greater velocities than U.S., German, Japanese, and Thai girls, while the boys were similar across cultures.

Developmental Gender Differences for Overhand Throwing in Aboriginal Australian Children

In a review of 46 meta-analyses of gender differences, overhand throwing had the largest gender difference favoring boys (ES > 3.0). Expectations for gender-specific performances may be less pronounced in female Australian Aborigines, because historical accounts state they threw for defense and hunting. Overhand throwing velocities and kinematics were recorded in 30 female and male Aboriginal Australian children 6-10 years old. Results indicated the Aboriginal girls and boys were more similar in horizontal ball velocities than U.S. girls and boys. Throwing kinematics between girls and boys were also more similar in Australian Aborigines than U.S. children. Aboriginal girls threw with greater velocities than U.S., German, Japanese, and Thai girls, while the boys were similar across cultures.

Three novel mutations in the PORCN gene underlying focal dermal hypoplasia

Focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH) is an X-linked dominant disorder characterized by patchy dermal hypoplasia with digital, ocular and dental abnormalities. Very recently, mutations in the PORCN gene were demonstrated to cause FDH. Here, we described three unrelated Thai girls who were sporadic cases of FDH. One of them had unilateral athelia, which has never been described in FDH. Mutation analysis by polymerase chain reaction sequencing the entire coding regions of PORCN successfully revealed three potentially pathogenic mutations, c.373+1G>A, c.737_738insA and c.1094G>A (p.R365Q). One was found in each of three patients. In addition, another sequence variant c.682C>T (p.R228C) with an inconclusive role was found in one patient and her unaffected mother. The two missense mutations were not detected in at least 100 ethnic-matched control chromosomes, and all four mutations had never been previously described. X chromosome inactivation studies showed random patterns in all of them. This study demonstrates that PORCN is the gene responsible for FDH across different populations and extends the total number of confirmed mutations to 26.

A cross-sectional examination of growth indicators from Thai adolescent girls: Evidence of obesity among Thai youth?

Background: Few studies have examined growth data from adolescent girls in Southeast Asia and almost none have been carried out in Thailand. Thus this study examines growth data from Thai adolescent girls.Aim: Cross-sectional growth data from a sample of Thai girls were compared to reference data from healthy well-nourished girls. It is hypothesized that the reference girls will be taller and heavier than the Thai girls; however, the growth indicators will also indicate that obesity is present among Thai girls.Subjects and methods: Anthropometric and age at menarche data were collected from a sample of 319 adolescent girls ages 11–17 years living in suburban Thailand.Results: Thai girls are heavier than the reference girls at ages 11–13 years yet are shorter and lighter than the reference girls at ages 14–17 years. The data also reveal that 18.4% of the girls are overweight or obese as classified by the CDC BMI-for-age percentile growth curves.Conclusion: The findings suggest the presence of overweight and obesity among this adolescent Thai population. These data may reflect the impact of the improved economic situation of Thailand as well as the impact of body image concerns among these young girls.

Two novel frameshift mutations of the EBP gene in two unrelated Thai girls with Conradi-Hunermann-Happle syndrome.

Conradi-Hünermann-Happle syndrome, also known as X-linked dominant chondrodysplasia punctata (CDPX2), is characterized by skeletal abnormalities, cutaneous anomalies and cataracts. CDPX2 is caused by mutations in the emopamil-binding protein (EBP). We report two unrelated Thai female patients with clinically typical CDPX2, in which we discovered two novel and de novo frameshift mutations: 506-507delAG and 540-541delCC. This study demonstrates that EBP is the gene responsible for CDPX2 across different populations and extends the total number of confirmed mutations to 55.

Bone mineral density in adolescent and young Thai girls receiving oral contraceptives compared with depot medroxyprogesterone acetate: a cross-sectional study in young Thai women

This cross-sectional study of bone mineral density in adolescent and young Thai girls receiving oral contraceptives compared with depot medroxyprogesterone acetate was performed to evaluate the differences among these groups. Thirty current OC users and 30 current depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) users were included in the study. The mean duration of OC use was 28.8 ± 3.4 months and of DMPA 24.6 ± 3.3 months. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was used to measure bone mineral density (BMD) at distal and ultradistal forearm of the nondominant side. The BMD of ultradistal forearm of OC users and that of DMPA users were 0.423 ± 0.048 and 0.403 ± 0.039 g/cm 2 and at distal forearm of OC and DMPA users were 0.566 ± 0.043 and 0.571 ± 0.064 g/cm 2, respectively. However, there were no statistical differences in BMD in these two groups.

Age at menarche in Thai girls

SummaryAge at menarche and menstrual symptoms were recorded in a sample of Thai schoolgirls in Bangkok. Using a random sampling proportional to size from this target population, structured questionnaires were offered to a sample of 15 998 girls of grades 4–12. Fifty-six per cent of the study population was menarcheal during the time of study. Average mean ages by recalling age at menarche and by probit analysis were 12·51 ± 1·17 and 12·35 ± 1·41 years, respectively. The onset of menstruation occurred most frequently in April and October. Abdominal pain was the most common symptom during the menstrual period. Acne, malaise and back pain were other common complaints.

Lovelorn Farangs: The Correspondence between Foreign Men and Thai Girls

Cette etude suggere qu'alors que le tourisme du sexe implique a l'echelle macro-sociale l'exploitation sexuelle des femmes locales, celles-ci sont adroites a manipuler leurs amis absents

Thai girls and Farang men the edge of ambiguity

This paper examines the dynamics of the short-term and longer term relationship between prostitutes and tourists in Bangkok, Thailand. Based on fieldwork in one small area of Bangkok, it examines the expectations of the women and the foreign men who patronize their services. It concludes that for most of the women, prostitution offers a career marked by a pattern of upward and downward mobility, economic insecurity, often emotional instability, and no long-term solution to the economic conditions which made them join the profession in the first place.