Prikladnost nekoliko subjektivnih mjera pubertalnoga sazrijevanja za primjenu u nekliničkim istraživanjima razvoja adolescenata
Suitability of Several Subjective Measures of Pubertal Maturation for Application in Non-Clinical Research on Adolescent Development

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the study was to assess the suitability of several subjective measures of pubertal maturation for application in psychological and other non-medical studies of adolescent development. In a sample of preadolescents and young adolescents and their parents, self- and parental-assessments of relative pubertal status, as well as reports about child’s height and weight were collected. For girls, data on menstrual status and age at menarche was also obtained. Children also completed the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS, Petersen et al., 1988). Results have shown that different measures of pubertal maturation are interrelated, but the strength of the relationship indicates that they are not interchangeable. Assessments of the same indicator of pubertal development obtained from different informants are strongly correlated and, for the research purposes, can be used as mutually alternative. Sex differences in measures of physical maturation, as well as maturational trends for boys and girls of different age, are in concordance with the trends found in previous studies, showing that the used measures are valid indicators of pubertal maturation. PDS proved to be a valid and reliable measure of pubertal development of Croatian adolescents. The need to include measures of pubertal maturation in research on adolescents’ development was emphasized in the discussion.

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