Physical and Mental Health Status of Hispanic Adolescent Girls: A Comparative Perspective

Adolescence is a time of physical and emotional transition and a crucial period for identity formation as sex roles become differentiated and individual identities, including ethnicity, crystallize. The onset of puberty brings physical changes that require emotional adjustment and impose behavioral challenges for youth, who begin experimenting with adult behaviors even as they have little appreciation for how some actions can affect their health status in later years. Experimentation with adult roles often places adolescents at risk of healthcompromising behavior, particularly when drugs, narcotics or tobacco are involved. For girls, unprotected sexual activity not only increases the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, but also the likelihood of unintended pregnancy. Eating disorders and early initiation into sexual activity also jeopardize long-term health prospects of youth. Peer pressures, parental absence during formative years, and living in dangerous neighborhoods places an increasing number of adolescents at great physical risk. Experiences with physical or sexual abuse lead to high levels of stress, low self-esteem and suicidal ideation all indicators of poor mental health.