The effects of pubertal changes on body image and relations with peers of the opposite sex in adolescence

The purpose of this research was to study the impact of pubertal maturation on body image and on the perceived quality of relations with opposite sex peers in adolescence. A sample of 157 French adolescents aged from 11 to 16 years filled in self-report scales; physical development was measured by physicians using Tanner criteria (pubic hair, genitalia and breast growth). Results of ANOVAs confirmed that boys evaluate themselves on attractiveness more positively than girls, and showed no difference between the sexes on perceived physical condition. Multiple regression analyses revealed different effects — according to sex — of pubertal status on body image and relations with opposite sex peers. Correlational patterns suggested that the experience of the body and the experience of relations with opposite sex peers are not built in the same way in girls and boys during adolescence.