Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Carter, Rona

Titel

Anxiety Symptoms in African American Youth: The Role of Puberty and Biological Sex

Ist Teil von

• The Journal of early adolescence, 2015-04, Vol.35 (3), p.281-307

Ort / Verlag

Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications

Erscheinungsjahr

2015

Quelle

ERIC

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• This study examined the effects of pubertal status, pubertal timing (actual and perceived), and youth biological sex on symptom dimensions of anxiety (i.e., social, separation, harm avoidance, physical) in African Americans (n = 252; ages 8-12). For girls, results indicated that pubertal status and timing (actual) exerted similar effects for some symptom dimensions of anxiety but not others. Early pubertal timing predicted high levels of physical symptoms, whereas beginning puberty (i.e., no menarche, but either breasts or pubic hair growth) and early pubertal timing predicted high levels of harm avoidance. For boys, only perceived pubertal timing predicted high levels of social, separation, harm avoidance, and physical symptoms. Pubertal effects (status and timing [actual]) on harm avoidance and physical symptoms were stronger for girls than for boys. These findings extend the literature on anxiety in African American youth and may help identify novel, high-risk subgroups of this population for targeted prevention and intervention programs.