Boarding Schools for Girls

Girls who have been sexually or physically abused during childhood are twice as likely to develop severe mental problems, according to a study from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College in London. The effect did not hold true for boys.

Dr. Helen Fisher and her colleagues studied two groups of people between the ages of 16 and 64. Women in the study group who had histories of psychosis were more likely to have been abused as children.

Dr. Fisher said she believes that these girls learn to distance themselves from other people and to "internalize" their difficulties. "These findings point to a need for gender-specific interventions for abused children to prevent later mental health and behavioral problems," she said.

The study appeared in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

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An 11-member panel of Canadian health care experts has determined that young women who smoke tobacco or who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for developing breast cancer later in life. According to an April 23 article by Canwest News Service writer Sharon Kirkey, inhaling tobacco smoke early in life can result in cancer decades later:

"Even moderate exposure to passive smoking, such as living or working with a smoker early in life, increases a woman's risk of breast cancer when she is in her 30s, 40s and 50s," panelist and University of Toronto public health expert Dr. Anthony Miller says. ...

After reviewing ... more than 100 studies ... the panel concluded that all women who smoke, particularly young women, are at increased risk of breast cancer, and that even young women who don't smoke are at increased risk if they're exposed to second-hand smoke.

"An estimated 80 to 90 percent of women have been exposed to tobacco smoke in adolescence and adulthood," says panel chairman Neil Collishaw, of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. "Those women face an increased risk of breast cancer because of that exposure."

In addition to the heightened likelihood of developing breast cancer, teens who smoke are at increased risk for suffering from a wide range of health problems and engaging in a variety of dangerous behaviors.

Labels: health, teenagers, girls, cancer, smoking

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will not challenge a court order that requires it to ease restrictions on access to Plan B, the so-called "morning after" contraception pill. As a result of this decision, 17-year-olds will soon be able to purchase the drug without a prescription.

An April 23 article by Reuters writer Susan Heavy reported that 17-year-olds should have access to the medication within the year, a decision that was hailed by womens health and reproductive rights advocates:

The FDA on [April 22] said it would allow nonprescription access to 17-year-olds as soon as it received necessary information from the drug's maker, Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc, now part of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Teva said it would comply with FDA's request, but it could still take 10 months before the drug is available without a prescription for younger buyers.

Women's health advocates cheered the FDA's decision, with some adding that access should be loosened even more, to allow shelf sales without age restrictions. They along with company officials argue it is critical for women to have quick access to the drug, which aims to prevent pregnancy when used within 24 hours of sexual intercourse.

The FDA decision was announced less than six months after two studies documented an increase in the prevalence of sexual behavior among teens and adolescents.

Labels: health, teenagers, sex, contraception, medications

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Very few teens interact with strangers they meet online, and instead use the Internet to keep in touch with face-to-face friends, according to a new study from the University of California.

Researchers interviewed 251 high school students about how they use social networks, instant messaging, and other means to access friends online. Only five percent said they had friends they knew only from online exchanges. Most teens use the Internet to interact with their existing friends.

Dr. Stephanie Reich, author of the study, said that her research indicates that sexual predators would have a harder time approaching teenagers than their parents may believe. Most young people do not seek out friendships with strangers on the Internet.

Teen online safety remains a pressing concern among parents and pediatric mental health experts, who worry about issues ranging from cyberbullying to video game addiction.

Labels: teenagers, online, internet

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According to an April 13 article by Houston Chronicle writer Cindy George, many Texas parents are turning to medical professionals to provide their daughters with the health information that students aren't getting in school. As George put it, increasing numbers of parents are asking the family gynecologist to have "the talk" with their adolescent daughters:

These are the conversations that establish an early doctor-patient relationship, building trust with young women so they're comfortable calling or visiting the gynecologist as they get older.

"I want to meet these young women before they really, really, really need me," said Dr. Tammy Vu, an obstetrician/gynecologist at West Houston Medical Center. ...

Providing medically accurate information can enlighten girls [who are] receiving limited information at school, hearing possibly outdated advice from their parents, and trading whispers with friends often riddled with misinformation.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that teens visit a gynecologist for the first time at age 13, 14, or 15 for preventive health appointments that don't usually involve an internal pelvic exam.

Even pre-teens are now making visits to gynecologists' offices, George reports, as experts recommend that girls receive Gardasil, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, between the ages of 11 and 12.

Labels: health, sex-education, girls, adolescents, HPV

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Two high school girls in Minnesota were featured in the April 20 edition of the Duluth News Tribune for the effort and determination that led them to achieve success in an interscholastic sport that is usually dominated by male participants:

Girls who choose to pursue wrestling face solitude long before they step on the mat. Competing in a sport supercharged with high doses of testosterone and cultural bias, they are relegated to their own locker rooms and scales to dress and weigh in apart from their teammates. Then, often their male peers will refuse to compete against them, forfeiting a match rather than wrestling a girl and risk losing.

But Kristina Erickson and Jolynne Denman accept the challenges of competing in a male-dominated sport and focus on its rewards, such as gaining discipline and self-confidence, making lifelong friends, staying fit and learning how to accept both victory and defeat.

Erickson, 14, and Denman, 15, followed up a season of wrestling mostly boys for the junior varsity team at Cloquet High School with a strong showing against girls. Erickson, an eighth-grader, and Denman, a ninth-grader, finished first and second, respectively, at the USA Wrestling state womens tournament, and Erickson brought home a national title from the USA Wrestling national womens tourney in her 135-pound weight class in Oklahoma City last month.

"The fact that they make it through the boys program really speaks highly of their discipline and inner strength," Cloquet HS wrestling coach Al Denman (who is also Jolynnes father) told Duluth News Tribune writer Rick Lubbers. "A lot of guys quit because they cant handle it, and these girls have not quit. Against all the odds, they keep at it. I wish I had a hundred of them."

Labels: school, teenagers, girls, sports, wrestling

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