Teens Before Their Time

By Whitney Roban, Ph.D. (New York, N.Y.: Girl Scouts of the USA, 2000). 74 pp. (Executive Summary, 19 pp.)

In the past, middle childhood (ages 8-12) was viewed as a relatively idyllic stage of life preceding the turmoil of the teenage years. However, any parent or guardian in the new millennium would leap to challenge that belief. Research supports parents' beliefs that child development is being "hurried" or "compressed." Girls, in particular, seem to be pressured to deal with typically teenage issues years before they are in their teens. They are reaching physical and cognitive maturity earlier than previous generations. But, how are they coping emotionally with these dramatic changes? What do they want and need to ease the challenges of such compressed development?

The objectives of Teens Before Their Time were to:

• Identify the issues, challenges and pressures on girls aged 8-12.
• Provide ways for girls to speak out about issues, thoughts and concerns they might not always feel comfortable expressing.
• Serve as an initial benchmark for the continuing examination of the concerns, strengths, diversity and effective support of girls.

Download the Teens Before Their Time executive summary (PDF, 367KB).

For more information about the research, or to order a hard copy of the executive summary or full report of the study, email the Girl Scout Research Institute or call (800) GSUSA 4 U.