Brooks-Gunn J, Ruble D N
Child Dev. 1982 Dec;53(6):1567-77.
Adolescent girls' menstrual-related beliefs and behaviors are examined from a developmental perspective. 2 studies, 1 cross-sectional and 1 longitudinal, were conducted. In the first, 639 girls in grades 5-6, 7-8, and 11-12 were seen. In the second, 46 pairs of girls were seen twice: all were premenarcheal at the first testing; at the second testing, one-half had begun to menstruate in the last few months and one-half were a matched premenarcheal comparison group. Girls answered questions on menstrual symptomatology, menstrual-related attitudes, and potential informational sources. 3 questions were asked in the present study: (1) What are the expectations for menstrual symptoms that girls hold prior to menstruation and when do these develop? (2) How do expectations for menstrual symptoms and beliefs relate to the actual experience of menarche? (3) What are the sources of information for menstruation and do they relate to subsequent menstrual-related behavior? First, as early as fifth grade, premenarcheal girls had clear expectations regarding menstrual symptoms; their expectation that cycle-related changes would occur paralleled the changes reported by adult and older adolescent women. Second, girls who had begun to menstruate reported experiencing less severe menstrual distress (less pain, water retention, negative affect, and behavioral changes, and more concentration) than the premenarcheal comparison group expected to experience. In addition, early symptom expectations were positively related to later-reported menstrual distress (pain, water retention, and behavioral change) in the changing-menarcheal-status group. Third, there were few changes in the amount learned from various sources as a function of menarcheal status. However, correlational analyses indicate that girls who learned more from male sources rated menstruation as more debilitating and negative than those girls who learned less from male sources. The importance of socialization in the emergence of menstrual distress and negative menstrual attitudes is discussed.
从发展的角度对青春期女孩与月经相关的信念和行为进行了研究。进行了两项研究，一项横断面研究和一项纵向研究。第一项研究中，观察了639名五至六年级、七至八年级和十一至十二年级的女孩。第二项研究中，对46对女孩进行了两次观察：所有女孩在第一次测试时均处于月经初潮前；在第二次测试时，其中一半在过去几个月开始月经，另一半是匹配的月经初潮前对照组。女孩们回答了关于月经症状、与月经相关的态度以及潜在信息来源的问题。本研究提出了三个问题：（1）女孩在月经初潮前对月经症状有哪些期望，这些期望何时形成？（2）对月经症状的期望和信念如何与月经初潮的实际体验相关？（3）月经信息的来源是什么，它们与随后与月经相关的行为有关吗？首先，早在五年级时，月经初潮前的女孩对月经症状就有明确的期望；她们认为与月经周期相关的变化会发生，这与成年和年龄较大的青春期女性报告的变化相似。其次，已开始月经的女孩报告的月经不适（疼痛、水肿、负面情绪和行为变化较少，注意力更集中）比月经初潮前对照组预期经历的要轻。此外，在月经初潮状态变化组中，早期症状期望与后期报告的月经不适（疼痛、水肿和行为变化）呈正相关。第三，随着月经初潮状态的变化，从各种来源学到的信息量几乎没有变化。然而，相关分析表明，从男性来源学到更多知识的女孩比从男性来源学到较少知识的女孩认为月经更虚弱和负面。讨论了社会化在月经不适和负面月经态度出现中的重要性。
