Sexual abuse, pubertal timing, and subjective age in adolescent girls: A research note

Abstract

This study investigated whether sexually abused adolescent girls were more likely than non-abused girls to have experienced early pubertal maturation and to feel older than their peers (i.e. to have an older subjective age). The sample (ranging in age from 12 to 19 years) consisted of 22 sexually abused girls who were referred by clinical agencies or who identified themselves on a questionnaire as sexually abused. The abused sample was matched on several demographic variables to 22 non-abused girls attending school. All girls completed questionnaires measuring their subjective age and age at menarche (pubertal timing). Sexually abused girls were more likely to be early maturers than were non-abused girls; they also felt significantly older than did their non-abused chronological agemates. Future research should consider further the empirical links among pubertal timing, subjective age, and sexual abuse.