Question

Too Mature, Too Fast? Some researchers believe that early maturation might make girls susceptible to premature sexual activity and unwanted pregnancies. Do you agree? What are some of the possible consequences of the body maturing more rapidly than the mind for both girls and boys? Support your reasoning with information from the text and other course materials.

Answer 1

Answer:

yes. i agree. early puberty leads to early stress, depression and early sexual behavior.

Explanation:

For young people who begin puberty earlier than their peers, the transformation appears to be particularly fraught, especially for girls. Early-maturing girls are at increased risk of a range of psycho social problems including depression and early sexual behavior.The average age of a girl's first period in the United States and Europe was about 16 a century ago. Today, it's closer to 13.In boys, puberty begins between ages 9 and 14, on average, starting with growth of the sexual organs and wrapping up with facial hair and a deepened voice.

Karen Rudolph, PhD, at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and colleagues, followed more than 160 boys and girls for three years. They found that girls who matured earlier than their peers had increased rates of depression that persisted over the course of the study. They also found that while early-maturing boys initially had lower levels of depression than later-maturing boys, over time they showed signs of increased anxiety, negative self-image and interpersonal stress. By the end of the three-year study period, the boys' rates of depression were almost as high as those of the early-maturing girls (Development and Psychopathology, 2014).