Studies reveal the effect of family structure on the onset of puberty in girls

ANI |
Has been updated: October 28, 2020 08:17 IS

Washington [US], October 28 (ANI): Girls who have not lived with their parents from birth to the age of two may be at higher risk of starting puberty at a younger age than girls who live with their parents, recently. Research suggests.
The research results were published in the open access journal BMC Pediatrics. The authors suggest that their findings support the hypothesis that childhood stress can affect the development of adolescence. According to the authors, the risk of precocious puberty may be reduced by interventions aimed at improving the well-being of children.
A team of researchers from the Northern California Research Division of Kaiser Permanente in the United States found that girls who did not live with their parents were more likely to start pregnancy before the age of 12 compared to girls who lived with their parents. Found to be% higher. parents. 18% more girls who did not live with their parents between the ages of 2 and 6 than girls who lived with their parents and started menstruating before the age of 12.
Corresponding author Ai Kubo said, “Stress experienced before the age of two can have a stronger effect on the onset of puberty than stress experienced by older children. Early in puberty, It is associated with an increased risk of psychological and emotional problems during puberty. Early puberty increases the risk of various conditions such as heart disease, breast cancer, and uterine cancer. For the purpose, we investigated life with one or two parents as a way to assess the potential stress that young girls may experience. May be at high risk in early puberty. It can be used to guide healthcare interventions to identify and support girls. “
The authors also found that girls who did not live with their parents from birth to the age of 2 began to develop breasts 29% earlier and pubic hair growth 21% earlier than girls who lived with their parents. I found it likely. Girls who did not live with their parents between the ages of 2 and 6 were 13% more likely to start breast development and 15% more likely to start pubic hair development than girls who lived with their parents. It was.

Examine the family structure The beginning of a girl’s puberty The author used electronic health record data for girls born between 2003 and 2010 within the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Health System. Of the 26,044 girls included in the survey, 2,034 (8%) lived with parents under the age of 2 and 2,186 (8%) lived with one parent between the ages of 2 and 6. did.
The authors observed that the risk of early onset of puberty depends on racial and ethnic backgrounds. Of all black, white, and Latin girls included in the survey, about 30%, 5.6%, and 9.6% lived in households with only one parent before the age of two. Black, white, and Latin girls who lived with one parent before the age of two were 60%, 24%, and 30 compared to girls of similar ethnicity who lived with both parents. % Early started to develop breasts. Black or white girls who lived with one parent between the ages of 2 and 6 are 44% more likely to start breast development earlier than girls who lived with both parents. Was 21% higher. Latin girls raised by a single parent between the ages of 2 and 6 were less likely to begin breast development earlier than girls who lived with their two parents. According to the authors, girls’ BMI did not significantly affect the association between single-parent family life and early onset of puberty. However, other factors such as socioeconomic status, perceived stress, or adverse childhood events may further explain the difference.
The authors found that anxiety about infant attachment (the lack of positive bonds between infants and caregivers) is one of the mechanisms by which girls living in single-parent families before the age of two experience early onset of puberty. It suggests that there may be.
“According to a previous survey, babies living in single-parent families are more likely to show attachment anxiety than babies living in double-parent families, and girls with unstable baby attachment are adolescents early. It is likely that we will reach a period, and we could end puberty early. “
The authors found that because the data was taken from electronic health records, why there is only one parent in the family, such as family structure, divorce, single parent by choice, imprisonment, nutrition, physical activity, and age of the mother’s first period. Was not available. The author managed neighborhood-level household income at birth, but did not take into account subsequent changes in address, and thus changes in neighborhood quality that could have occurred during the girl’s childhood. Future studies, including other factors that may be independent sources of childhood stress, such as household income and neighborhoods, show potential underlying associations between family composition and early age of adolescent onset. The mechanism needs to be studied. (ANI)