Linking Childhood Maltreatment With Girls' Internalizing Symptoms: Early Puberty as a Tipping Point

摘要: Early pubertal timing in girls is one of the most frequently replicated antecedents adolescent emotional distress. Yet understanding impact psychosocial development has presented something a conundrum for developmentalists, as earlier physical maturation may often be preceded by range early adversities and life stressors. The present paper disentangles these associations investigating childhood maltreatment, internalizing symptoms, perceived who were residing foster care at study entry (N = 100, M 11.54 years old Time 1). Girls assessed two time points apart. There no significant direct effects maltreatment on symptoms; rather, sexual abuse predicted onset which, turn, was associated with higher levels symptomatology. These symptoms persisted over study. This distinctive role - even within sample subject to stressors risks which far exceed developmental norm confirms unique salience adjustment, suggests that heightened circumstances puberty especially disturbing whose lives have already been traumatically disrupted inappropriate unwanted experiences.