@article{ref1,
title="Validity of self-assessment of pubertal maturation",
journal="Pediatrics",
year="2014",
author="Rasmussen, Anna R. and Wohlfahrt-Veje, Christine and Tefre de Renzy-Martin, Katrine and Hagen, Casper P. and Tinggaard, Jeanette and Mouritsen, Annette and Mieritz, Mikkel G. and Main, Katharina M.",
volume="135",
number="1",
pages="86-93",
abstract="BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Studies of adolescents often use self-assessment of pubertal maturation, the reliability of which has shown conflicting results. We aimed to examine the reliability of child and parent assessments of healthy boys and girls. <br><br>METHODS: A total of 898 children (418 girls, 480 boys, age 7.4-14.9 years) and 1173 parents (550 daughters, 623 sons, age 5.6-14.7 years) assessed onset of puberty or development of breasts, genitals, and pubic hair according to Tanner stages by use of a questionnaire and drawings. Physicians' assessments were blinded and set as the gold standard. Percentage agreement, κ, and Kendall's correlation were used to analyze the agreement rates. <br><br>RESULTS: Breast stage was assessed correctly by 44.9% of the girls (κ = 0.28, r = 0.74, P <.001) and genital stage by 54.7% of the boys (κ = 0.33, r = 0.61, P <.001). For pubic hair stage 66.8% of girls (κ = 0.55, r = 0.80, P <.001) and 66.1% of boys (κ = 0.46, r = 0.70, P <.001) made correct assessments. Of the parents, 86.2% correctly assessed onset of puberty in girls (κ = 0.70, r = 0.71, P <.001) and 68.4% in boys (κ = 0.30, r = 0.37, P <.001). Children who underestimated were younger and children who overestimated older than their peers who made correct assessments. Girls and their parents tended to underestimate, whereas boys overestimated their pubertal stage. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Pubertal assessment by the child or the parents is not a reliable measure of exact pubertal staging and should be augmented by a physical examination. However, for large epidemiologic studies self-assessment can be sufficiently accurate for a simple distinction between prepuberty and puberty.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0031-4005",
doi="10.1542/peds.2014-0793",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-0793"
}