Early puberty tied to aggression

Girls who go through puberty early and lack a strong relationship with their parents may be at increased risk of aggressive behaviour. To determine whether positive parenting practices are associated with less aggressive and delinquent behavior in girls who reach puberty early, researchers from America studied 330 girls aged around 10 years, who had reached puberty earlier than average. The researchers observed the behaviour of these girls and analysed their relationship with their parents. It was noted that those who had reached puberty earlier than their peers and lacked the support of their parents were more likely to indulge in aggressive behaviours like getting into fights, teasing other children and spreading rumours. Parents who fell short in nurturing their daughters, talking out their problems or monitoring their comings-and-goings paved way to behaviour problems among the girls. The above findings indicate that early puberty does not affect all girls the same way and parents who are nurturing and involved may help protect their daughters from the behaviour problems that may accompany early maturation.

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