ABSTRACT
The interpersonal relations area has received comparatively strong attention as it relates to the timing and status of physical development among girls. A critical factor in family relations is girls' strivings toward independence and autonomy from parents. The relationship between menarcheal age and first intercourse was quite strong and was valid for both Black and White women. The present investigation of the role of pubertal timing for the interpersonal relations of mid-adolescent girls entails a broad characterization, covering the girls' relations to their parents and to other representatives of the adult world, to the peer network and to members of the opposite sex. To measure the emotional quality in girls' relations to peers, early- and later-matured girls were compared for a "Peer Relations" scale, comprising 15 items. The most common peer configuration among girls in mid-adolescence was to have no close relations with neither younger, older, or working peers nor with heterosexual relations.
