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Be Alert to Puberty Pitfalls

It seems that girls are maturing faster these days, whether it’s a physical phenomenon and/or the result of media hype glorifying models and other celebs. At least those are the explanations you hear touted most often as to why our little girls may be growing up too quickly. In this issue, writer Wenda Reed explores whether girls are, in fact, experiencing puberty earlier, and discovers that the answer is yes … and no. Wenda separates fact from fiction and shares advice from the experts for parents whose daughters develop early.

Whatever the age puberty occurs, girls (and boys too, of course) will need to have lots of conversations with their parents before, during and after to help them prepare for and cope with changes to their bodies. Puberty is also a time when girls can be extra sensitive about their self-image. It’s a time for parents to be on guard for unhealthy eating habits that may lead to more serious problems such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating.

As many as 10 million girls and women and 1 million boys and men in the U.S. are struggling with eating disorders, and many more cases go unreported because of the secretiveness and shame associated with these illnesses, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). Evidence suggests that we should be particularly alert to girls falling victim to anorexia: Forty percent of new cases are diagnosed in young women 15 to 19 years old, and there’s been a rise in incidence of anorexia in females 15 to 19 in each decade since 1930.

Why are young girls particularly vulnerable? While the roots of eating disorders, as in other mental illnesses, are complex, it’s generally been believed that environmental influences such as peer pressure and certain perceived expectations of society play a major role in their onset. And recently, the research of Kelly Klump, a Michigan State University associate professor of psychology, found that genetic factors that emerge during puberty also increase girls’ risk for developing eating disorders.

Klump’s study, published in the May 2007 issue of Psychological Medicine, included more than 500 female 14-year-old twins. Before puberty, the research found, environmental factors alone contribute to the development of various eating disorders. As puberty progresses, genetic risk is triggered and increases in significance to account for more than half the risk of developing an eating disorder.

Whatever the cause, there’s arguably enough risk for parents of young girls to want to become familiar with the signs of eating disorders — because early diagnosis and treatment can shorten the period of recovery significantly and increase the chances for survival. Experts say roughly two-thirds of patients with anorexia or bulimia will recover in one to three years if the illness is caught and treated early; others may take seven to 10 years to get well, and about a quarter of those sufferers will die from these diseases.

Many organizations, including NEDA based here in Seattle (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org), have Web sites listing symptoms, treatment options and other information. But we as parents can begin working to prevent eating disorders early in our children’s lives — by examining our own thoughts and behaviors toward our own bodies. Psychologist Michael Levine, a noted researcher in the field of eating disorders, advises us to practice and encourage eating a well-balanced diet and exercising for fun, health and fitness. Additionally, he says, we can help our kids understand and resist the ways in which media implies that a slender body equals power, popularity and perfection. In the end, a well-rounded sense of self and solid self-esteem are perhaps the best immunization against disordered eating.

Karen Reed-Matthee
Editor

©August 2007 Caliope Publishing Company