Pape H, Storvoll E E
Norsk institutt for forskning om oppvekst, velferd og aldring, Oslo.
Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 1999 Jan 20;119(2):216-20.
This paper shows how involvement in problem behaviour among 13- and 14-year-olds varies according to level of pubertal development. Furthermore, it explores whether psychosocial factors such as characteristics of the peer network (deviance and gang membership), parental behaviour (supervision, care, and parents' frequency of alcohol intoxication) and masculine gender identity mediate this relationship. The data stem from a nation-wide representative survey of the general youth population in Norway (n = 3,139, response rate 97%). The prevalence of problem behaviour (i.e. shoplifting, truancy, vandalism etc.) increased with increasing levels of physical maturation for both sexes. The association was strongest among boys, however. Further analyses revealed that this gender difference could be attributed to the fact that early mature boys, to a greater extent than early mature girls, associate with deviant peers.
