Liu Yang, Sun Ying, Tao Fangbiao, Tong Shilu
Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Population Health and Eugenics.
Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Provincial Laboratory of Population Health and Eugenics; Email:
Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi. 2015 Apr;36(4):314-7.
To explore the association of adverse childhood events with early puberty timing and possible gender differences.
Data was gathered through questionnaires, physical and secondary sexual characteristics, examination with breast stage in girls and testicular volume in boys measured under informed consent among children in grade 3 to grade 5 from a large-scale primary school. Information regarding adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), time of screening and physical activity was included in the questionnaire. Age limits on secondary sexual characteristics for defining early puberty established under the "China Puberty Research Collaboration Project" were used to classify early puberty timing. Body mass index was calculated and used to classify both overweight and obesity, in each gender.
Among the 1 744 children aged 8.2-12.2 years old (957 boys), the prevalence rates of early puberty timing among boys and girls were 7.5% and 14.6%, respectively, with gender differences (χ² = 11.671, P < 0.001). Boys who reported having experienced serious adverse family events and girls with physical abuse were more likely to develop early puberty. Results from multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that family life events were associated with a higher risk of early puberty timing in boys (odds ratio: 2.531, 95% CI: 1.276-5.020) while experience related to physical abuse appeared a risk factor of early puberty timing in girls (odds ratio: 2.453, 95% CI: 1.588-3.788).
Physical abuse and adverse family life events seemed to be associated with early puberty timing, suggesting further longitudinal study should be carried out to understand the nature of these findings and gender differences.
探讨儿童期不良事件与青春期提前的关联以及可能存在的性别差异。
通过问卷调查收集数据，在一所大型小学三至五年级学生中，经知情同意后测量其身体和第二性征，女孩测量乳房发育阶段，男孩测量睾丸体积。问卷中包括儿童期不良经历（ACEs）、筛查时间和体育活动的信息。采用“中国青春期研究合作项目”确定的青春期提前定义的第二性征年龄界限来分类青春期提前的时间。计算体重指数并用于对每个性别的超重和肥胖进行分类。
在1744名年龄在8.2 - 12.2岁的儿童中（957名男孩），男孩和女孩青春期提前的患病率分别为7.5%和14.6%，存在性别差异（χ² = 11.671，P < 0.001）。报告经历过严重不良家庭事件的男孩和遭受身体虐待的女孩更易出现青春期提前。多因素逻辑回归分析结果显示，家庭生活事件与男孩青春期提前风险较高相关（比值比：2.531，95%置信区间：1.276 - 5.020），而身体虐待相关经历似乎是女孩青春期提前的一个风险因素（比值比：2.453，95%置信区间：1.588 - 3.788）。
身体虐待和不良家庭生活事件似乎与青春期提前有关，提示应进一步开展纵向研究以了解这些发现的本质及性别差异。
