Young girls who are sexually abused may undergo puberty earlier than their peers, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The study involved a group of girls who had been sexually abused in comparison with a group of girls who had not experienced sexual abuse. Researchers focused on the age at which the study participants entered puberty, determined in the study by the development of breasts and pubic hair, to assess the physiological toll of childhood sexual abuse.
The study found that girls who had been sexually abused developed breasts eight months earlier and pubic hair 12 months earlier than their peers.
“Though a year’s difference may seem trivial in the grand scheme of a life, this accelerated maturation has been linked to concerning consequences, including behavioral and mental health problems and reproductive cancers,” said Jennie Noll, PhD, director of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network and professor of human development and family studies at the Penn State Social Science Research Institute, in a news release.
Extended exposure to sex hormones may lead to reproductive cancers and complications with menstruation and fertility, as well as issues related to psychosocial development, according to the study.
Adolescents who begin puberty earlier than their peers “tend to associate with older, more risk-taking peers and face age-inappropriate expectations that they are not prepared to navigate,” the study said.
While sexual abuse has negative effects for victims no matter their age, experiencing sexual abuse during childhood may be particularly damaging. The immense stress of sexual assault likely plays a strong role in the onset of puberty, and experiencing such high stress during a pivotal period of growth may have long-lasting effects, according to the study.
“Our findings point to the possibility that there is something unique about the experience of sexual abuse that influences pubertal maturation,” the study said.
However, it remains to be determined whether sexual abuse, as opposed to other forms of abuse or maltreatment experienced during childhood, leads to worse outcomes.
The findings can be used to bolster awareness of the health risks that adolescents who enter puberty early may face, according to the study. With increased awareness, practitioners can encourage youth who have entered puberty early to seek out early cancer screenings and other behavioral interventions. Pointing young survivors of sexual abuse to trauma-focused behavioral therapy can also help them overcome problems in psychosocial development.
For more information, visit http://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(16)30352-4/fulltext.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association