Understanding the Pubertal Experiences of Mexican American Adolescent Girls

Background. Adolescence is associated with an increased likelihood of developing risky health behaviors that can continue through adulthood. Pubertal onset and timing are highly salient in early adolescence and are associated with emotions ranging from embarrassment to empowerment. Furthermore, early pubertal timing among girls is associated with numerous risky behaviors, including sexual risk taking and substance use.

Most of the research exploring the impact of pubertal timing on adolescent risk taking has focused on White adolescents. However, as a group, Hispanics make up the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the U.S. In addition, Hispanics are disproportionately affected by avoidable health outcomes such as substance use and adolescent pregnancy, along with avoidable social outcomes such as incarceration. Many of these outcomes occur during adolescence or result from behaviors initiated during this period. It is therefore critical to determine the socio-psychobiological factors associated with risk taking in this underserved and high-risk population.

Methods. The purpose of the current qualitative study was to explore how first and second-generation Mexican American adolescent girls interpret and cope with their pubertal development. Nine Mexican American girls aged 15-17 years (average age 15.7, 78% born in Mexico, average age at menarche 10.5 years) were recruited from community clinics and organizations in Austin, Texas, to participate in single-gender, semi-structured group interviews.  Participants were asked to reflect on how they learned about puberty and their pubertal experiences.

Results. The primary sources of information about pubertal development were mothers and school. However, for many of the girls this information was received after they had already begun their menstrual cycle. In addition, when girls mentioned receiving information from their mothers about risk taking behaviors (e.g., substance use or risky sexual activity), the conversations occurred after menarche. All of the participants associated puberty with menarche and none of the girls discussed breast development as a part of their pubertal experience. While there were some positive physical and social experiences, overall the initial experiences of pubertal development were negative, in part because of a lack of knowledge about puberty. In addition, participants discussed the increased pressure from peers to engage in risk taking behavior and an increase in conflict with parents.

Conclusions. The study results confirm that puberty is a time of stress for Mexican American girls and is a critical time for prevention efforts. In particular, the stress of pubertal development could be reduced through earlier communication between girls and their families.