LONGITUDINAL EFFECTS OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS PUBERTAL DEVELOPMENT, PERCEPTIONS OF PUBERTAL TIMING, AND PARENTAL RELATIONS ON EATING PROBLEMS

This study examines how young adolescent girls' pubertal development a nd perceptions of pubertal timing as well as their subjective experien ces with their parents relate to the emergence of eating problems duri ng later adolescence. The sample consisted of 240 White girls from 2 s uburban communities near a large midwestern city. They were studied or iginally when they were in the 5th to 9th grades and again 2 years lat er (N = 177). They reported their daily experiences according to the E xperience Sampling Method. Results indicate that adolescent girls' pos itive relationships with both parents relate to healthier eating score s, both concurrently and longitudinally. Interactions of the pubertal and the experience with parents variables appear to be important for u nderstanding eating problems in early adolescence.