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Roh and Kim: Sexual maturation, Body image, and Self-esteem among Girls of Lower Grades in Elementary School
Original Article
Journal of Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing

Journal of Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing 2012; 23(4): 405-414.

Published online: 31 December 2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12799/jkachn.2012.23.4.405

Sexual maturation, Body image, and Self-esteem among Girls of Lower Grades in Elementary School

So Young Roh1, Kyeha Kim2

1Graduate School, Department of Nursing, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea.

2Department of Nursing, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea.

Corresponding author: Kim, Kyeha. Department of Nursing, Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwangju 501-759, Korea. Tel: +82-62-230-6326, Fax: +82-62-230-6329, kyehakim@hanmail.net

Received 4 May 2012       Accepted 22 December 2012

Copyright © 2012 Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the sexual maturation, body image, and self-esteem of Korean elementary school girls with symptoms of precocious puberty compared to those with no symptoms of precocious puberty.

Methods

The subjects were 309 girls of lower grades in elementary school. Tanner's Sexual Maturation Rating (SMR), Self Image Scale, and Self-esteem Scale were utilized to determine the presence of symptoms of precocious puberty, body image, and self esteem. Collected data were analyzed by Chi-square test, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA using the SPSS/WIN 17.0 program.

Results

The percentage of the girls with breast development was 14.9%. Breast development usually began in the third grade (56.5%). Of the subjects, 0.3% were experiencing menstruation. Breast development was related to grade, age, height, weight, and a cause of worry. There was a significant difference of body image between girls with breast development in the first grade and in the second grade.

Conclusion

An effective intervention that can improve the self-image of children with symptoms of precocious puberty should be developed to prevent and treat physical and mental problems related to sexual maturation.

Keywords: Sexual maturation, Body image, Self concept

Figures and Tables

Table 1
General Characteristics (N=309)
jkachn-23-405-i001
Table 2
Symptoms of Precocious Puberty (N=309)
jkachn-23-405-i002
Table 3
Symptoms of Precocious Puberty according to General Characteristics (N=309)
jkachn-23-405-i003
Table 4
Body Image and Self Esteem according to Symptoms of Precocious Puberty
jkachn-23-405-i004

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