ABSTRACT
Objective@#To analyze the correlation between school bullying and the age at menarche (AAM) in girls, so as to provide references for promoting the healthy growth of girls in puberty.@*Methods@#In April 2022, a total of 987 middle school girls with onset of menarche in Rongchang District of Chongqing were selected by using a stratified random cluster sampling method to carry out a questionnaire survey and physical examination. The t tests,variance analysis and Dunnett t tests were conducted to analyze the differences between individuals who experienced different types of school bullying and AAM. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the association between school bullying and the early age at menarche.@*Results@#The average AAM of 987 girls was (12.13±1.03) years, and 22.90% of them had early AAM. The AAM of those who did not experience bullying events (12.18±0.96) varied significantly with those who experienced bullying events (11.86±1.44) ( t=3.71, P <0.01). The average AAM of individuals who experienced 1, 2, 3 or more school bullying events was (12.08±1.38, 11.74±1.07, 11.61± 1.63 ) years old, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in AAM between girls who did not experience school bullying and those who experienced 1, 2, 3 or more types of school bullying ( F=6.99, P <0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis found that after adjusting confounding factors, experiencing school bullying ( OR=2.71, 95%CI =2.04-4.27), being deliberately excluded from collective activities or being isolated ( OR=2.58, 95%CI =1.69-4.67), being kicked, pushed or locked in the house ( OR= 2.85 , 95%CI =1.39-4.92), being teased due to physical defects or appearance ( OR=2.74, 95%CI =1.77-5.02), experiencing one school bullying event ( OR=2.33, 95%CI =1.52-4.23), and experiencing two school bullying events ( OR=3.36, 95%CI = 1.82 -7.36), and experiencing three or more school bullying events ( OR=2.89, 95%CI =1.74-5.71) were associated with the early age at menarche ( P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#School bullying is related to the earlier AAM among girls. Strengthening school anti bullying education might be helpful for promoting girls healthy growth and development in adolescence.