Body Image, Reaction to Menarche and Patterns of Heterosexual Relationship among Rural and Urban Female Pubescent: The Case of Addis Ababa and Ambo

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Date

2005-06

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate how factors in the individual, for example body image prior to puberty affects the adjustment of adolescent girls to pubertal changes. In addition, the study also aimed at examining how pubertal changes such as body image, reaction to menarche, and heterosexual relationships are related to one another and affect one another. About 190 female adolescents (Addis Ababa and Ambo) filled in a questionnaire prepared for data collection. The finding indicated that pre pubertal body image was negatively correlated with adolescent girls' reaction to menarche. This means girls who perceived themselves attractive during pre pubertal time fail to adjust themselves to the onset of menstruation. The result of the study also indicated that those girls who negatively reacted to menarche were found to develop body image dissatisfaction. As a result they showed low interest towards opposite sex relationship since heterosexual relationship was found to be correlated positively with body image. The paired sample t-test revealed that there was a significant difference between pre and post pubertal body image. This relationship was also the same for both urban and rural female pubescent. Finally, the study indicated that there were significant differences between urban~ and rural female adolescents in post pubertal body image, reaction to menarche, heterosexual relationship and age of menarche.

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Keywords

Heterosexual Relationship among Rural, and Urban Female Pubescent

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