Are Psychosocial Consequences of Obesity and Hyperandrogenism Present in Adolescent Girls with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?

Abstract

Study Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether body weight status and clinical hyperandrogenism may influence social competencies and psychological gender features in adolescent girls. Design and Participants. In 104 adolescent girls, psychological gender inventory (PGI) and social competencies questionnaire (SCQ) (assessing social abilities in three aspects: intimacy (I), social exposure (SE), and assertiveness (AS)) were performed. Subjects were divided into four subgroups: G1 - 24 nonobese girls without hyperandrogenism, G2 - 18 obese girls without hyperandrogenism, G3 - 30 nonobese hyperandrogenic girls, and G4 - 32 obese girls with hyperandrogenism. Results. There were no significant differences in all parts of SCQ and PGI between the study and control groups. The feminine woman type dominated in all groups; in G3 and G4, masculine woman type appeared more often than in G1 and G2 (13.3% and 12.5% versus 4.0% and 0.0%, resp.). In G4, positive relationship between BMI z-score and SCQ (r=0.4, p=0.03) was found. In G1, the relationship was opposite (r=-0.5, p=0.03). Hirsutism correlated negatively with SCQ (r=-0.5, p=0.02), I (r=-0.5, p=0.02), and AS (r=-0.5, p=0.02) only in G1; in other groups, this relationship was insignificant. In G4, higher testosterone level was associated with lower SCQ (r=-0.5, p=0.008) and AS (r=-0.5, p=0.003). In G2, testosterone concentration correlated positively with SCQ (r=0.6, p=0.01), SE (r=0.5, p=0.02), and AS (r=0.6, p=0.02). Conclusion. In adolescent girls, neither body weight nor clinical features of hyperandrogenism seem to be the source of evaluated disorders in psychological functioning.