Psychiatric disorders, peer-victimization, and quality of life in girls with central precocious puberty.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychiatric diagnoses, peer-victimization, quality of life, and emotional and behavioral status of girls with central precocious puberty (CPP).

METHODS: A total of 71 girls with CPP and 50 healthy controls participated in the study. All participants were evaluated using a semi-structured interview by a child and adolescent psychiatrist. To assess the peer-victimization, quality of life, depression levels, and emotional and behavioral status, the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used in this study.

RESULTS: Although the difference was not significant, the rate of being diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder was higher in CPP group (28%) than in control group (20%). The most common psychiatric disorder was social anxiety disorder (13%) for the CPP group. No significant difference was found between the CPP and the control groups in terms of mean CDI and PedsQL scores. When compared in terms of SDQ parameters, prosocial behavior scale scores were significantly higher in the CPP group than in the control group. Being a victim of bullying was found significantly more frequently in girls with CPP than among the healthy controls (28% vs. 12%).

CONCLUSION: Due to the high rates of being bullied, girls with CPP should be screened for peer-victimization. Long-term prospective studies are also necessary to further elucidate the psychological consequences of CPP on girls.