Early puberty and adolescent pregnancy: The influence of alcohol use
Early puberty and adolescent pregnancy: The influence of alcohol use
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DOI：
10.1542/peds.2005-0542
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发表时间：
2005-12-01
期刊：
影响因子：
8
通讯作者：
Christopher, FS
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Deardorff, J;Gonzales, NA;Christopher, FS
目标。青春期提前预示着年轻女孩的有害后果，包括药物使用、危险的性行为和怀孕。反过来，青少年怀孕预示着长期的负面影响，如教育程度和收入潜力的降低。尽管有证据表明青春期提前与不良后果之间存在直接联系，但这项研究是第一次研究酒精在早熟女性的性交时间和怀孕时间中所起的作用。参与者为666名女性，年龄在18至22岁之间，来自亚利桑那州的4个主要族群（非西班牙裔白人、黑人、拉丁裔和印第安人）。样本中的所有女性都在十几岁或二十出头的时候怀孕过。参与者完成了一份自我管理的问卷，询问他们的月经初潮时间、性行为开始、第一次饮酒和第一次怀孕的年龄。采用路径模型对预测妊娠年龄的中介模型进行了检验。研究发现，青春期提前与较早饮酒和开始性行为有关，这反过来又预示着早孕。初潮年龄和首次使用药物年龄在初潮年龄和首次怀孕年龄之间具有显著的中介作用。结果没有因种族而异。早熟的女孩更有可能过早使用药物和发生性行为，这反过来又使她们面临更大的少女怀孕风险。重要的是，卫生保健提供者对与年轻女孩早熟有关的风险敏感，并为这一群体提供与饮酒和性行为开始有关的预防性筛查、教育和咨询。
Objective. Early pubertal timing predicts deleterious outcomes for young girls, including substance use, risky sexual behavior, and pregnancy. In turn, adolescent pregnancy predicts long-term negative consequences such as reduced educational attainment and income-earning potential. Despite evidence of the direct links between early puberty and negative outcomes, this study is the first to examine the role that alcohol plays in the timing of sexual intercourse and pregnancy among early-maturing females.Design. Participants were 666 females, aged 18 to 22 years, from 4 major ethnic groups in Arizona ( non-Hispanic white, black, Latino, and Native American). All women included in the sample had experienced a pregnancy in their teens or early 20s. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that inquired about their timing of menarche, sexual initiation, first alcohol use, and age at first pregnancy. A mediating model predicting age at pregnancy was tested by using path modeling.Results. Early puberty was found to be associated with earlier age of alcohol use and sexual initiation, which in turn predicted early pregnancy. Age at first sexual intercourse and age at first substance use significantly mediated the relation between age at menarche and age at first pregnancy. The results did not vary by ethnic group.Conclusions. Girls who mature early are more likely to engage in early substance use and sexual intercourse, which in turn puts them at greater risk for adolescent pregnancy. It is important that health care providers are sensitive to the risks associated with early maturation among young girls and provide preventive screening, education, and counseling related to alcohol use and sexual initiation for this group.