Introduction
This article is a meta-analysis written by Jane Mendle who is a professor in the Human Ecology department at Cornell University and Joseph Ferrero who works in the psychology department at Oregon University and is a specialist in psychopathology, both in the United States.
They wrote this article because “Psychologists have long been intrigued by individual differences in puberty, and how these might predict late health and emotional well-being.” (Mendle and Ferrero, 2011, p.1).
In this literature review, these two authors have collected many studies that elucidate the relationship between the time of puberty in boys and the undesirable psychological outcomes it induces. The results of the different studies explain that there is a very strong inter-individual variability concerning the puberty period and its consequences. However, for all adolescents, this period represents a cascade of personal, social, and emotional adaptation, which notably increases the risk of externalizing and internalizing disorders. More precisely, these articles demonstrate that early puberty for boys predicts negative psychological sequelae. This can be compared to the article written by Mendle and her collaborators in 2007, showing the same results for girls. Indeed, until this literature review, there was no consensus on studies on adolescent boys. This review, therefore, provided a more in-depth view of this puberty period.
Summary
This study investigates the link between puberty and these psychological effects in adolescent boys. Many studies show a positive effect of early pubertal development in boys on body satisfaction, self-esteem, popularity, and independence. Precocious puberty also plays a role in other mechanisms that have been highlighted in this article. These are explained from the psychosocial, biological, and selection points of view.
Regarding internalized disorders, boys with precocious puberty are subject to significant stress related to few resources to deal with them, both emotionally and cognitively. This is due to an increase in certain hormones which then imply changes that are difficult to manage and therefore the feeling of being different and misunderstood. These young men then find themselves with higher levels of depression and anxiety than those who do not experience this precocious puberty.
In terms of externalizing disorders, precocious boys are more likely to show attention deficit disorder, conduct disorder, aggression, and risky behavior. Indeed, faced with a premature physical maturity linked to a desire for independence, they may integrate into an older social group, thus indulging in this type of behavior (delinquency, drug, and alcohol consumption).
The environmental context in which these young people live may or may not be a protective factor. In the event that this is not one, due to the social and environmental changes precipitated by puberty, the adults, considering these young men as more quickly autonomous, leave them to fend for themselves, which increases their risk of finding themselves in problems, even stories of aggression.
On the sexual level, the desire is earlier in these boys, due to a premature secretion of hormones, which implies that the age of first intercourse is earlier than the norm. Only, having no knowledge of the risks involved (STIs), makes it a public health concern. Regarding the academic success and cognitive abilities of these young people, 3 studies have shown that they were more successful at school, which does not, however, reflect a higher IQ according to the studies. Early puberty is also a predictor of bulimia and weight problems.
There are therefore individual differences during puberty, in terms of biological experiences. In addition, children today have a prolonged period of disparity between biological and social maturity and face more early role confusion.
Regarding the future directions of this study, it would be interesting to review non-invasive but valid techniques to capture male maturation and to further test the psychosocial hypotheses because indeed, according to some authors, these are the most accepted but the least tested (relations with family, peers, parental control, love). However, the period of physical development seems to contribute greatly to the adaptation and well-being of individuals, which is an important subject, especially for prevention.
Critical evaluation
This study being a meta-analysis, it makes it possible to group together a lot of data and to be synthetic, however, we can criticize this study for not mentioning many figures, which makes it difficult to get an idea of how many boys are affected by this or that aspect of precocious puberty. Indeed, we do not have quantitative information concerning the population, that is to say, the age of the boys as well as the number of samples used.
Another criticism that we could make is notably cited in the discussion, in fact, this article lacks psychosocial hypotheses to know how the environment will interact with this precocious puberty and how this will modulate the risks for the young boy. “Psychosocial hypotheses are most widely accepted but, paradoxically, the least tested’” (Mendle and Ferrero, 2011, p. 12).
This article represents an innovation in this field because the scientific literature lacks coherence and consensus (Ge, Conger, and Elder, 2001) regarding studies on puberty in boys. So this article by Mendle brings together essential information on the subject.
Finally, if we look at the scientific articles on this subject, we notice that several authors have addressed the subject of early puberty in boys after the publication of Mendle’s article in 2011. This observation is therefore positive, but it would be necessary for the authors to include both boys and girls in their studies on this subject, as the latter is still less studied, despite a growing interest.
Conclusion
This article is quite comprehensive and addresses a subject that has been little researched for ages, so it’s particularly interesting to see that authors have taken an interest in it and that they are providing us with a basis for reflection on the subject. Moreover, it shows that the positive effects of early puberty in young boys, demonstrated by many previous studies, are in fact very few and that most aspects of this maturity are negative.
In addition, this scientific article is easy to read because it takes up the subjects studied one by one and is relevant because it’s based on the bio-psycho-social angle.
Key terms :
- Puberty
- Externalizing disorders
- Bio-psycho-social
- Maturity
- Development
Words we have learned :
- Precocious puberty = puberté précoce
- Buoy = bouée
- Shoplifting = vol à l’étalage
- Poised = Prêt
- Harsh = Dure