This is a pilot study on the puberscence of Chinese school girls. The main objective is to determine the age of the first menstruation of those girls and their psychological development at that period. Based on the data collected in Taipei area, the mean age to reach the sexual maturity of 2,246 girls is found to be 161.2 months, or 13.4 years. This figure is very close to the findings in Western countries, It is found that the individual difference in physical development among the girls is very great. Some have their first period at the age of 11 while others have not reached maturity until 17. It is realised that geographic and socio-economic factors may have some effect on the physical development of the girls; but the, material collected is not sufficient for such a detailed analysis.
Analysis of the material also indicates that girls at puberty differ from younger ones in attitude toward people of the opposite sex, and in the interest in movies, games and leasure readings. They become more self-conscious than younger girls and tend to feel that their parents do not understand them.
Another noteworthy fact is that a good number of the girls at puberty have little knowledge of their own physical development. As a consiquence, anxiety and tension become a very common phenomenon. Hence health education in regard to physical development and hygiene at puberty is imperative.
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The Physical and Psychological Development in Relation to Menarcheal Age in School Girls in Taipei Area
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