Objective To explore the mechanisms through which early puberty is associated with psychological distress in women aged 18-25. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate whether body-related concerns and social interactions moderate or mediate this association. Methods Participants were compared on measures evaluating psychological distress, body image dysphoria, bulimic symptomatology and negative intimacy with best friend according to three pubertal timing groups: (1) Bvery early^puberty (menarche at 9 years old or less), (2) Bearly^puberty (menarche at 10 years old), and (3) Bon-time^puberty (menarche between 11 and 13 years old). Forward stepwise multiple regressions and multiple mediation analysis were successively performed to see whether bodyrelated concerns and peer interactions mediate or moderate the relationship between premature puberty and psychological distress. Results Controlling for age and ethnicity, results indicated (1) that women who began puberty Bvery early^had significantly higher levels of psychological distress than their Bon-time^counterparts; (2) the association found between very early puberty and psychological distress was mediated by body image dysphoria and negative intimacy with best friend and was moderated by bulimic symptomatology. No mediational effect was found in women whose puberty was Bearly^. Conclusion These findings highlight the importance of using more than one group of early pubertal timing and the role of body and intimacy concerns in the explanation of psychological distress in women. Intervention strategies addressing the increased risk of psychological distress in women who begin puberty very early should target their body image and ability to form intimate friendships. Résumé Objectif Explorer les mécanismes par lesquels la puberté précoce est associée à la détresse psychologique chez les femmes âgées de 18 à 25 ans. Cette étude transversale vise à déterminer si les préoccupations liées au corps et les interactions sociales modèrent ou médient cette association.
Parenthood has often been associated with lower levels of relationship and sexual satisfaction. However, this effect has rarely been studied beyond transition to parenthood and/or in clinical samples and few studies have examined parenthood as a moderator between relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction. Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine whether parenthood (being a parent or not) acts as a moderator of the relationship between relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction among women and men consulting in sex therapy ( n = 219). Results indicated that mothers report lower levels of relationship satisfaction compared to non-parent women, whereas no difference was found for sexual satisfaction. Results also showed that parenthood acts as a moderator between relationship and sexual satisfaction, with differing effects for men and women. More precisely, relationship satisfaction was associated with increased sexual satisfaction in men and in non-parent women only. For mothers, relationship satisfaction was not linked to sexual satisfaction. Findings suggest that relationship satisfaction is lower in mothers compared to non-parent women and is also unrelated to sexual satisfaction in mothers, indicating specificities regarding sexual satisfaction and its correlates in others. These results have implications, particularly for interventions with mothers attending sex therapy.
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