Girls’ Early Puberty Can Result in Delinquent, Aggressive Behavior
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Comstock/Thinkstock(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.) — Girls who experience their first menstrual cycle before they turn 11 are more prone to negative peer influences than adolescent girls who get their period later, according to a report in the journal Pediatrics.
The study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham suggests that this early onset of puberty is responsible for more delinquent and physically aggressive behavior.
Typically, this aggression fades in most girls by age 16 but those who had began their menstrual cycles early are still at great risk for delinquent behavior, lead author Sylvie Mrug found.
Mrug, an associate professor in psychology, remarks, “Delinquency and aggression put adolescents at risk for many negative outcomes in the future, including lower educational achievement, substance abuse, depression and problems in relationships.”
These adolescent problems include lying, cheating, talking back to adults and generally, not being very nice.
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