The influence of pubertal timing on self-identity among junior high school girls: mediating effects of parenting styles

Based on the pubertal timing mediation hypothesis, this study explored the influence of pubertal timing on self-identity among junior high school girls, and explored the role of parenting styles in this relationship. The Pubertal Development Scale (PDS), Short-Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran for Children (s-EMBU-C), and the Extend Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-2 (EOM-EIS-2) were used to measure seventh, eighth, and ninth-grade students in nine junior high schools in Hunan and Anhui provinces, and a total of 1000 questionnaires were distributed and 733 valid questionnaires were collected. Results revealed that there was a significant correlation between pubertal timing and self-identity, and parenting style mediated the relationship between pubertal timing and self-identity. Maternal rejection partially mediated the relationship between early puberty and consciousness diffusion, and also partially mediated the relationship between early puberty and overall diffusion. The findings indicated that Early puberty can affect not only the diffusion of consciousness and the overall diffusion of girls, but also the diffusion of consciousness and the overall diffusion of girls through maternal rejection.