The Impact of Pubertal and Social Events upon Girls' Problem Behavior.

This study examined whether problem behavior in early adolescent girls was associated with pubertal processes and other life events and whether social support and positive relationships buffered the adolescent from possible negative effects of biological and social events. White girls (N=150) between the ages of 10 and 13 years completed the Youth Behavior Profile, the Self-Image Questionnaire for Young Adolescents, and the Scale of Early Adolescent Life Events. Physical growth was assessed via physical examination. The results revealed that negative life events, specifically those associated with family and school, were associated with internalizing and externalizing problem behavior, while positive life events were not. Pubertal events were not associated, although an interaction between pubertal events and negative family events was found. The occurrence of negative family events was more likely to be associated with internalizing behavior in premenarcheal than postmenarcheal girls, while in girls for whom no negative events occurred, internalizing behavior was somewhat higher postmenarcheally than premenarcheally. Positive relationships mitigated the consequences of life events, with main and interaction effects being found. (NB)