作者：Marlene Busko
出處：WebMD醫學新聞
August 15, 2008 — 新研究顯示，比同儕早一年有月經且其雙親沒有正面養育技巧的女孩，比較可能遭遇社會侵犯。
主要研究者、阿拉巴馬大學心理系的Sylvie Mrug博士向Medscape Psychiatry表示，對所有春春期前的小孩來說，好的親子教育是重要的，但是基本的養育技巧—哺育、好的溝通、了解女兒的交友狀況以及休閒活動— 對即將進入青春期的女孩更重要。
她表示，人們可能認為青少年的父母親不重要，但是這項研究和其他許多研究顯示並非如此；底線是：雙親仍然重要，不全然是同儕。
本研究登載於八月號的小兒科暨青少年醫學期刊。
【保護效果？】
之前的研究顯示，女孩比較早進入青春期與行為不良和物質濫用等問題有關，可能會有深遠的影響；到成人時，這些女孩傾向有較低的學位以及職業成就，對其生活品質也較不滿意。
再者，早熟的女孩有比較高的侵犯或者行為不良風險，因為她們比較可能接受年長男孩的關係，比年幼的小孩更可能從事不良行為。
不過，作者推測，正面的養育可以保護早熟的女孩免於負面行為。
為了檢驗這個假設，研究者訪問了阿拉巴馬州伯明罕、德州休士頓以及加州洛杉磯等地，330名5年級的女孩及其雙親；這些女孩的平均年紀為11.3歲，28%是非裔美國人、44% 是西班牙裔、22%是非西班牙裔白人、5% 是其他種族；三分之一的小孩屬於單親家庭；全部都有母親或者養母，但不是所有人都有父親。
研究者研究三個養育變項：知識、撫育和溝通。另外也根據一個有七個問題的問卷，評估雙親對其小孩交友及社交活動的了解。
母親的撫育是根據女兒所提出的資料，判斷她們的母親有多支持和多溫柔，以及是否與她們分享個人的問題，如未來的計畫、且共同合作某件事情。
溝通是根據雙親是否與他們的女兒討論暴力、抽菸、青春期和性。
該研究的主要結果測量是女孩自我報告的侵犯與不良行為，統計分析校正年紀、種族、居住地、雙親數、雙親教育與家庭收入等因素。
侵犯的定義是身體的(如推打)、非身體的(如唆使鬥毆、取笑他人、輕視他人)或者利用關係(使用社會關係排擠以及散播謠言傷害他人)；不良行為的定義是鬥毆、受傷或者致人受傷、逃家或逃學。
【教育雙親幫助他們的女兒】
四分之一的女孩早熟，定義為比同種族的同儕早一年有經期，這些人比較可能有不良行為。
如果早熟女孩的母親撫育、溝通或了解程度較差的話，那麼女孩比較可能有社會侵犯；早熟也會有身體上的侵犯，但也是只有那些撫育情況很差之母親的小孩。
根據研究者表示，藉由討論與同儕相處的困難以及處理的方法，雙親可以幫助他們的女兒發展適合的回應，減少不適當行為的可能性；作者寫道，此外，知道女兒如何打發休閒時間，也有助於雙親辨識和預防負面同儕等影響。
他們指出，被視為教育、知識和溝通技巧較低的家庭，可以從教育和諮商學習新技巧中獲益，以幫助他們的女兒成為健康、適應環境的成人。
本研究獲得疾病預防與控制中心的合作同意。
Positive Parenting May Prevent Social Aggression in Early-Maturing Girls
By Marlene Busko
Medscape Medical News
August 15, 2008 — Girls who start their periods a year earlier than their peers and who do not have parents with positive parenting skills are more likely to be socially aggressive, new research shows.
"Good parenting is important for all preadolescents, but basic parenting skills — nurturing, good communication, and knowledge of their daughter's friends and activities — are even more important for girls who go through puberty early," lead study author Sylvie Mrug, PhD, from the department of psychology, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told Medscape Psychiatry.
"People may think that in adolescence parents don’t matter any more, but this study and many others show this is not true," she said. "That’s the bottom line: parents still matter; it's not all about peers."
The study is published in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Protective Effect?
Previous research has shown that early puberty in girls is related to problems such as delinquency and substance use, which can have far-reaching consequences. As adults, these girls tend to have lower academic and occupational success and are less satisfied with their quality of life.
Further, girls who mature early may be at higher risk for aggression or delinquency because they are more likely to be accepted by and form relationships with older boys, who are more likely than younger children to engage in undesirable behavior.
However, the authors speculate that positive parenting may protect early-maturing girls from engaging in negative behavior.
To test this hypothesis, the investigators interviewed 330 fifth-grade girls and their parents from public schools in Birmingham, Alabama; Houston, Texas; and Los Angeles, California.
With a mean age of 11.3 years, 28% of study subjects were African American, 44% were Hispanic, 22% were non-Hispanic white, and 5% were another race. One-third of the children lived in single-parent families; all had mothers or a maternal figure, but not all had fathers.
The researchers studied 3 parenting variables: knowledge, nurturance, and communication. Parents' knowledge of their child's friends and social activities was measured based on their responses to a 7-item questionnaire.
Maternal nurturance was based on the girls' reports of how often their mother was supportive and affectionate and whether they shared personal problems and future plans with her and did things together.
Communication was based on whether parents talked with the girls about violence, tobacco use, puberty, and sex.
The study's main outcome measures were the girls' self-reported aggressive and delinquent behavior. The statistical analysis adjusted for differences in age, ethnicity, site, number of parents, parental education, and family income.
Aggression was defined as physical (hitting, shoving), nonphysical (instigating fights, teasing others, giving mean looks), or relational (using social exclusion and spreading rumors to hurt others).
Delinquent behavior was defined as fighting, sustaining or inflicting injury, running away from home, or skipping school.
Teaching Parents to Help Their Daughters
A quarter of the girls matured early, which was defined as beginning menstruation an average of 1 year before the average age for females of their racial and ethnic groups. Those who did were more likely to be delinquent.
Early-maturing girls were more likely to be socially aggressive if their mothers scored low in nurturing, communication, or knowledge.
Early maturation also predicted physical aggression, but only when the girl also had a mother who was not very nurturing.
According to the investigators, by discussing difficult peer situations and ways of dealing with them, parents may help their daughters develop a repertoire of adaptive responses that will minimize the need for inappropriate behavior. "In addition, knowing how their daughters spend free time may help parents identify and prevent negative peer and other influences," the authors write.
Families identified as having low levels of nurturance, knowledge, and communication skills may benefit from education and counseling to learn new strategies to help the girls grow into healthy, well-adjusted adults, they note.
The research was supported by Cooperative Agreements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162:781-786. Abstract
[ 本帖最後由 goodcat1111 於 2008-8-29 20:02 編輯 ] |
|
