Since the 1970s women have clearly made great advances toward equality in education and in the resultant employment opportunities afforded by an excellent education. Today women are graduating from universities at a rate unparalleled in history (Mitchell 2012:56; Townsend & Twombly 2007:208), and are also entering management positions at a greater rate than we have ever seen (Cejda 2008:172). While the rate of women university graduates taking up entry level management positions is almost on a par with men (Bosak & Sczesny 2011:254), the rate of women professionals who move into senior management positions decreases as the position becomes more senior until, at the highest level management positions, women hold only between 3% and 5% of the top posts. (Mitchell 2012:56). Through the analysis of in depth interviews of women holding higher level management positions (including President, Chancellor, or Vice Chancellor,) at universities in four different English speaking countries, the study sought to investigate the reasons why there are so few women found in top management positions in universities. The results of the study indicate that the factors having the greatest effect on the success of women managers at university are those of identity; being able to overcome academic bullying in the workplace; having key support at critical times, especially from a spouse or from family; and developing the strategies to overcome career obstacles through the use of metacognition. The study also found that informal, multiple, mixed gender mentoring was the most effective type of mentoring for women. As a result of the study findings, new theory is proposed for advancement of women managers that offers the concept of identity as a lynchpin factor. Identity develops concurrently with sets of personal and management skills that are interwoven into the experiences of women as they work in management.

Psychological research into bullying has highlighted the importance of considering the role of bystanders within this complex social interaction (see literature review). The aim of this paper was to apply this research to develop an anti-bullying intervention programme that increases pro-defending attitudes and behaviour, and consequently reduces bullying. The methodology was a design experiment; in this first iteration, the intervention programme was designed, implemented, and evaluated in collaboration with staff and students at a secondary school. Data were collected using a mixed methods approach via questionnaires, focus groups, an interview, and observation. The results showed that there was no significant difference in prevalence estimates of defending or bullying pre and post intervention. However, two thirds of participants reported that their attitudes and behaviour had become more supportive of defending victims since the intervention. Qualitative data revealed a diversity of perspectives regarding the effects and value of the programme. A model outlining factors that influence decisions to defend a victim of bullying was developed from the results and previous literature. The findings from this paper were used to inform modifications to the design of the intervention programme for implementation in the second iteration in paper 2.

This thesis examines the figure of the wandering adolescent, prominently visible in Japanese television anime and videogames produced from 1995 to the present. Japan in the 1990s and at the millennium experienced intense economic and social change, as the collapse of the ‘bubble’ economy of the 1980s resulted in a financial recession from which the country has yet to recover. At the close of the decade, the national experience was characterised in media descriptions of malaise and disenfranchisement, and the loss of perceived core traditional cultural values. Arguably in this period the figure of the adolescent changed qualitatively in Japanese culture, rising to prominence within youth panic discourses circulated by the Japanese news media. These concerned the perceived rise in antisocial and problematic teenage behaviour, including the otaku, the hikikomori shut-in, classroom disobedience, bullying, and prostitution, while multiple cases of brutal murder perpetrated by teenagers became the focus of extensive media coverage. Public discourse expressed alarm at the perceived breakdown of the traditional family and the growing commodification of childhood in Japanese culture. This thesis develops understanding of the shifting attitude in Japan towards adolescence within the context of these cultural anxieties, and through the analysis of anime and videogames suggests strategies that are at work within popular cultural texts that are the product of, contribute to and reorient debates about the position of the suddenly and inescapably visible teenager in Japanese society. Through analysis of discourses relating to the shifting representation of the wandering adolescent as it moves across cultural texts and media forms, the thesis forms an original contribution to knowledge and understanding of Japanese anime and videogames through illumination of a prominent motif that to date remains unexamined.

This thesis addressed the bystander intervention gap in the workplace bullying literature. Bystanders are employees, other than the bully or target, who are present when bullying occurs. They are well placed to intervene but often they do not. Previous research suggested that increased bystander intervention may lead to a reduction in workplace bullying. Although suggestions for bystander intervention in workplace bullying were found in the literature none had been implemented or measured. As field research this thesis addressed a real-world problem. The participating employees were from a large, mainland UK organisation where workplace verbal bullying had been identified as a problem. Therefore a strategy for bystander intervention in workplace verbal bullying was designed, implemented and measured. The new Responsible Intervention Decision Strategy (RIDS)model combined existing theories on the bystanders’ decision process and responsibility to support bystander intervention. This quantitative study developed and validated a new 15 item Responsible Bystander Intervention in Verbal Bullying (RBI-VB) metric. The concise metric was incorporated into a practical, single-page survey to test the RIDS model in the field. Shop-floor employees participated in pre and post-intervention surveys (N = 1501) and one of four conditions. The RBI-VB metric demonstrated that responsible bystander intervention was positively correlated to bystander willingness to intervene in workplace verbal bullying. This could be increased with RIDS-based training or the in-house campaign; and was positively correlated to self-reported bystander intervention. The study is limited as it took place within a single UK organisation. However, the findings demonstrated the efficacy of the RIDS model and the practical application of the RBI-VB metric for baseline measurements, monitoring and to assess bystander intervention programmes. Willingness to intervene can be increased and this relates to actual intervention but most bystander intervention was carried out by previous targets of workplace verbal bullying. The implications are discussed.

Positioning itself within policy debates on the best way to deal with disputes in UK workplaces and the (potential) resultant increased interest in mediation, this thesis draws on literature from law, philosophy, psychology and management to add to the growing, but largely theoretically-underdeveloped research on workplace mediation. In this research, mediation refers to a voluntary and confidential process where parties to dispute seek a mutually agreed outcome. This process is facilitated by an impartial third-party mediator. The research offers an empirically-informed theoretical framework exploring the extent to which the use of mediation to deal with bullying and harassment is appropriate. In asking whether mediation is appropriate, it argues that it is necessary to consider whether its use is not only feasible but also fair. Using Rawls’s (2001) theory of justice as fairness to structure the discussion and focusing on cases involving sex, race and sexual orientation it constructs an argument for the use of fairness as a guiding concern for an understanding of mediation grounded in an appreciation of public values and notions of social cooperation. It explores tensions between the nature of mediation and of bullying and harassment to question the extent to which an emphasis on cost/efficiency and empowerment in mediation rhetoric may obscure questions of the privatisation and individualisation of systemic and structural problems. Within this discussion theoretical and practical questions are identified and are then explored through the use of a mixed method research design comprised of a small-scale questionnaire (N=108), interviews (N=20) and focus groups (Four groups, N=16). Samples were purposively recruited and consisted of those over 18 years old with six month’s work experience in a UK workplace (questionnaire/focus groups) and external workplace mediators (interviews). Answers to the questions are offered in the form of a framework comprised of a theoretical model and a practically-orientated schematic. It is argued that the reconciliation of potential conflicts between mediation and bullying and harassment are found in a greater understanding of the way mediation operates in practice. This understanding is guided by an appreciation that different standards of reasonableness apply to different behaviours and that individuals, organisations and the courts have differing levels of responsibility for setting and upholding these standards. In meeting this responsibility it is important an organisation is seen as a party to the mediation process since a threat to fairness arises not from privatisation per se but from a personalisation of problems of organisational and/or societal significance. Rather than reject the use of mediation in such situations it suggests the notion of ‘tailored privatisation’ offering a compromise between the concerns of privatisation and the purported benefits of mediation.

This thesis considers how sexual and romantic relationships between academic faculty and students in higher education are governed. Using analytic techniques drawn from Foucault and discursive psychology to interpret a corpus of texts, which includes policy documents, interview transcripts, fictional accounts, newspaper articles, and computer mediated discourse, I explore how five discourses are mobilized to frame faculty student relationships. I find that harassment discourse, which emerges as the dominant frame of reference in scholarly accounts, is taken up less readily in the accounts studied here. Rather, discourses foregrounding four alternative, but often imbricated, themes are more extensively mobilized: infantilization; religiosity; health, safety, and hygiene; and professionalism. These discourses reinforce elements of the truth claims propounded by harassment discourses; notably, their gendered and heterosexist assumptions, and their insertion of a gap between academic and student, albeit one configured along subtly different lines. However, they also challenge them, positing alternative claims to truth, recasting the subject positions of academic and student, and re-orienting relations between the two. For example, infantilization discourses construct faculty-student relationships as a horrific relation between adult or parent and child which must be monitored, whereas religious discourses construct a pastor-flock relation, articulating relationships as a temptation to be resisted or atoned for. The thesis offers contributions to research on faculty-student relationships per se, and is also understood as opening up analysis of organizational sexuality and the university more generally by arguing for the usefulness of a government approach to these phenomena.

Over the past forty years the topic of bullying has generated considerable research interest. Schools spend a large amount of their budgets on interventions designed to reduce the incidence of bullying and to promote prosocial behaviours (Viding, McCrory, Blakemore and Frederickson, 2011). Nationwide initiatives such as the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) curriculum (DfE, 2005) have been widely implemented across schools in the United Kingdom with a view to increasing social and emotional competence and reducing bullying. Despite this, bullying remains a prominent concern and anti-bullying interventions do not always seem to lead to a significant decrease in bullying behaviour (Salmivalli, Kaukiainen & Voeten, 2005). Although much of the bullying research has focused primarily on bullies and victims it seems more widely accepted now that bullying is a group process which happens within a social context. More recent studies have looked at the other roles that children can adopt in a bullying situation such as defender, reinforcer, assistant and outsider (Salmivalli, 1996), however research in this areas is relatively limited to date. Existing research is largely quantitative in design and is considerably reliant on fixed response questionnaires. The current study looks at defending in particular and explores the factors associated with children’s expressed intentions to defend. Due to complexities involved in operationalising bullying as a construct, the focus of this study is on unkind behaviour rather than bullying. A mixed methods approach is used incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. 113 upper Key Stage 2 children (66 boys and 47 girls) from two schools in the south east of England completed questionnaires designed to assess behavioural tendencies in relation to unkindness, friendship quality, social group structure and attitudes towards unkind behaviour. Paired interviews were conducted with 32 children (17 girls and 15 boys). Correlation, regression and thematic analyses were used to explore factors seemingly associated with defending. Results are discussed in light of existing literature on defending along with implications for the professional practice of Educational Psychologists (EPs).

School bullying research has often focused on children, but neglected the parent’s perspective. Little is known about how parents respond to their child’s peer victimisation and how these responses are related to children’s experiences. Thus, this thesis aimed to address three main research questions: (a) how do parents respond to their children’s peer victimisation? (b) What factors are associated with parents’ responses to their children’s peer victimisation? (c) How are parents’ responses related to children’s experiences of peer victimisation? A mixed-methods sequential exploratory design, comprising of three stages, was utilised. Firstly, focus groups and interviews were conducted with parents to gain greater understanding of their perspective. The focus group/interview findings informed the content of parent and child questionnaires which were developed in a series of pilot studies, during stage two of the research. In the third stage, these questionnaires were administered to parents and children (aged I 1-12 years) to examine parental responses to peer victimisation, factors related to parental responses, and children’s victimisation experiences. The findings suggested three categories of parental responses: supportive/problem solving, confrontational and avoidant. Parents’ responses were related to their perceptions of how their child would cope, and their attitudes towards how schools/teachers deal with bullying. Additionally, parents’ perceptions of their role in school bullying were influenced by what they thought a ‘good’ parent should do. Children’s perceptions of avoidant and parental supportive/problem solving responses moderated the relationship between peer victimisation and loneliness; there was also an indirect relationship between perceived parental responses and peer victimisation, through child coping. This thesis concludes that in school bullying situations, parents form one element of a broader system, which also involves children and teachers. Thus, parentteacher communication and collaboration is vital and the importance of empowering parents to take a supportive/problem solving approach when helping their child is highlighted.

aPermanent and fixed-term exclusions were introduced in the Education Act (1986). Despite ongoing assertions by the government advocating a reduction in exclusions, the demographic of those excluded has remained similar. A managed move is an alternative to permanent exclusion. Little research has evaluated the process or assessed what constitutes best practice. This study establishes how the managed move process works, the reasons managed moves are initiated, what constitutes and influences success, the problems and how Educational Psychologists (EPs) can best impact upon their implementation. A single case study methodology was adopted. Within one Local Authority, four sub-groups were highlighted: school professionals (SPs), Local Authority (LA) officers, parents and young people (YP). A mixed-method design was used. Quantitative data on exclusion were gathered from the LA and national records. Semi—structured interviews took place with eleven SPs, five LA officers, five parents and five YP. These were evaluated using thematic analysis. Further data regarding YP views was elicited using personal construct psychology and solution-focused methods. The researcher, as an embedded member of the LA, was able to report informal observations around managed moves in context. Managed moves are discussed at the borough School Behaviour and Attendance Panel (SBAP) and brokered by Head-teachers. When a YP experiences a managed move, they remain on roll in their starter school and take part in a six week trial in a host school. Bullying/social isolation, breakdown in relationships and behaviour were the main reasons given for managed moves. Success was defined as where a YP experiences happiness and improved self-perceptions and makes progress in their learning. Factors contributing to success included: a fresh start for YP, without pre-judgement, effective home-school communication, early intervention, pastoral work, commitment of all stakeholders, school suitability and involving the YP in the process. A number of problems were identified, including: inter-school tensions, negative narratives around YP, use of the process as an alternative to permanent exclusion, a provision gap for YP with additional needs, accurate identification of special educational needs, the impact of the results agenda, issues around timing and family stress and systemic concerns regarding UK education policy. The findings suggest that EPs could maximise their impact by clearly explaining their skill set, working preventatively, accurately establishing YP’s needs and using systemic and social constructionist thinking. Potential implications at LA and national level are discussed.

Research pertaining to homophobic name-calling has largely focused on prevalence rates and the negative long-term effects on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) populations without considering the intention behind the use of the language, leading to an assumption the language used in these incidents is intentionally homophobic. This small-scale exploratory study focused on gathering the cross age and gender perspectives of male and female young people in years 7 (age 11-12) and 10 (age 14-15) from one secondary school, to illuminate whether they perceive name-calling, involving the word ‘gay’ to be bullying, harmful and intentionally homophobic. The study adopted a qualitative approach to research methodology to gain a richer understanding of young people’s perspectives, where single–sex focus groups were used to collect qualitative data, which were analysed through thematic analysis. Key findings from the study suggest there is agreement over age and between genders that using the word ‘gay’ is not intentionally homophobic or harmful. The study also highlights that the intent of the language is complex and dependent upon a number of factors including: the relationship between the user and receiver; whether they are friends or not and how the words are said. The language can be used as a form of joking, social bonding, expressing opinions and perceived as a common discourse amongst young people where there is no associated implication to sexuality. Further implications for anti-bullying and Educational Psychology practice are discussed, with a focus on developing an understanding of the use and intent of name-calling in schools at systemic and socio-cultural levels.

The experiences of dyslexic adults in education as well as the ‘caring professions’ of nursing, teaching and social work continue to be fertile ground for academic study. This study extends the range of current academic knowledge of dyslexia in the workplace by exploring the experiences of dyslexic police officers across England and Wales. The context is the extension of disability-related equality legislation to the police service in 2004. The overarching aim of the study is to examine the experiences and perceptions of dyslexic police officers who are ‘on-the-streets’ and not in the classroom environment. This research is underpinned by the principles of the social model of disability (Oliver 1990) and in it, dyslexia is understood not as a stand-alone difference but rather as an aspect of neurodiversity (Cooper 2009) A qualitative and exploratory research strategy was adopted. Data was collected by way of self-completed questionnaires and from face-to-face semi-structured interviews with twenty-five serving or recently resigned dyslexic police officers from ten police services from across England and Wales. The data was analysed using Layder’s theory of domains and his adaptive theory (Layder 2005 & 2013). This study identified that the overwhelming majority of dyslexic police officers experienced a broad range of attitudinal, procedural and police ‘barriers’ to their full integration into the police organisation. All of the participants in this study had disclosed to their employing police service that they were dyslexic. Participant understanding of dyslexia and disability was deeply rooted within the medical model rather than the social model. The study identified substantial evidence of bullying, and discrimination was identified across the broad range of police services as well as significant failings in the provision of workplace assessments by Job Centre staff. Despite this treatment very few participants complained or sought redress. The dominance of the medical model of disability in wider society, together with negative aspects of police ‘occupational’ culture, were identified as key factors in the participants’ decision making processes. This research concludes that institutional disablism in terms of dyslexia is widespread across some police services in England and Wales despite the extension of the disability discrimination legislation to the police service. The research concludes with some recommendations for policy and practice.

This research embraces an eco-systemic perspective of human behaviour (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) and uses participatory action research methodology to explore with young people, and those ‘immersed in the system’ (Carr & Kemmis, 1986) of education, their views and school experiences, to facilitate increased participation, empowerment and professional collaboration to support future school transitions. This study has been carried out in the South-West of England (inner-city and suburban areas), involving young people and their families, schools, alternative placement providers and multi-agency professionals. The following research aims were addressed: 1) To improve our understanding of the views and perspective of young people who have experienced school exclusion. 2) To explore multiple stakeholder perspectives of using a person-centred planning (PCP) approach to support school transition/re-integration and the perceived ‘supports’ and ‘barriers’ to implementation. 3) To explore the use of PCP in supporting positive outcomes for young people, ‘post transition/re-integration’ to mainstream school. 4) To consider the implications for future practice and research. This was a two part study, consisting of two research papers. The participants in paper one of the study were young people (N=12) identified by their settings as having experienced prior school exclusion, with an impending transition (or re-integration) to mainstream education. Paper one explored young people’s perspective to better understand the supports and barriers that have impacted upon their educational journeys, what they attribute as causes for their school exclusion and what they believe will help them in their future. A person-centred planning approach informed the data gathering process (Smull, Sanderson, Sweeney, Skelhorn, George & Bourne, 2005) and semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework. The individual interviews explored ‘with’ each young person, their views and perspective, and contributed towards the ‘preparing to plan’ stage of Person Centred Planning (PCP) being implemented in paper two. Paper two explored the use of Person Centred Planning (PCP) in supporting young people (N=6) in their school transition/re-integration to mainstream education. This involved young people from study one and a range of stakeholders including their family, friends, school/placement staff and multi-agency professionals. This focussed on exploring multiple stakeholder experiences of the ‘supports’ and ‘barriers’ of using a PCP approach in ‘real life’ practice. It also explored perceptions of the impact and efficacy of the approach over time in supporting young people across key outcome areas, ‘post’ transition/re-integration. Findings from paper one indicated young people’s capacity to express themselves clearly and reflect meaningfully upon their educational journeys. Each young person made their own decision as to how they would participate and contribute their views and how the information would be used. Key findings indicated a range of perceived ‘supports’ and ‘barriers’ that young people identified as having impacted upon them. These encompassed the systems of school, family and community and, consistent with existing research, highlighted the significance of positive and caring relationships, access to help and support and experiencing a sense of belonging (Lown, 2005; Mainwaring & Hallam, 2010; O’Connor, Hodkinson, Burton & Torstensson, 2011).Young people’s causal attributions referred to negative teacher relationships, peer bullying, rejection and perceived injustice. A distinct finding from this study referred to young people’s sense of isolation when they felt that help was being denied at a time when they were experiencing negativity across the contexts of family, school and community. Young people referred to not feeling understood and supported and reflected upon this impacting on their behaviour in school. Findings also indicated that whole school behavioural systems posed a barrier to young people being able to access the help and support of key adults they had identified and to their inclusion in the wider school community. Findings from paper two indicated positive support from all stakeholder groups that PCP enabled the young person to be fully involved in their transition planning, facilitating a positive ethos that embraced equality and collaboration. Exploration of stakeholder views highlighted some negative reflections on the use of PCP, particularly in relation to its ‘time consuming’ nature and a range of key factors were identified as supportive and/or obstructive to implementing PCP in practice. When exploring perceptions of impact and efficacy over time, there were clear indications of positive development for each young person across key outcome areas. The majority of positive reflections were consistent across stakeholders groups and related to increased school attendance, improved emotional understanding, social interaction and academic progress. All individual targets were reviewed ‘post transition/re-integration’ and were deemed to have ‘met’ or ‘exceeded’ the expected levels. Furthermore, there have been clear references to changes made at a systems and environmental level that have underpinned these positive changes and emphasised the role that others play as ‘agents of change’ (Fielding, 2001). These findings have been assimilated and the implications for educational psychology practice and research considered.

This portfolio has three parts: Part one: A systematic literature review of the effectiveness of nurture groups upon emotional wellbeing. Part two: An empirical paper on the bullying experiences, perceived social support, and mental health of emerging adults. Part three: Appendices including documents relevant parts one and two, and a reflective account of the research process.

This research was conducted with the major purpose of contributing to the understanding of definitions, perceptions and concepts of cyber aggression with particular emphasis on cyber-bullying. Seven studies were conducted in total. The term ‘cyber-bullying’ was examined in focus groups and individual interviews (Study 1: N = 32; 8–54 years old). Qualitative thematic findings showed that the term is ambiguous and highlighted the need for further examination of its general use and perception within online aggression. Typical exemplars that were common to cyber-bullying were examined (Study 2: N=136; 18-30 years old) and rated for centrality (Study 3: N=132, 18-30 years old) using the prototype approach by Rosch, 1972, Rosch, 1975. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) validated the exemplars. Hypotheses that exemplars would correlate with their given (Study 2) frequencies and mean ratings were accepted. Typical/central cyber-bullying exemplars were also determined (Study 4: N=89, 18-30 years old) in a recall and recognition memory task experiment, following the hypotheses that central exemplars of cyber-bullying would be recalled more than non-central exemplars of cyber-bullying. Furthermore, motivating factors of cyber-bullying were examined (Study 5: N=10; 14-18 years old) using Grounded Theory (GT). GT revealed clusters of goaded and groundless motivators of cyber-bullying. Further validation of prototypes were carried out in a commonality triangulation (Study 6: N=114, 18-30 years old). Core exemplars of cyber-bullying from generated GT themes were determined in terminological categorisation study (Study 7: N=132, 18-30) where CB was differentiated from cyber-harassment, cyber-abuse and cyber-stalking. The implications of the findings including the need for various preventative measures (e.g. psychosocial therapies) to be applied to instances of bullying/victim and cyber-bullying/victim were suggested.

This research aimed to explore the extent to which young people with learning/communication difficulties see themselves affected by feeling unsafe/bullying in the community. This research also investigated the views of parents of young people with learning/communication difficulties. The researcher wished to explore the extent to which parents endeavour to support their vulnerable offspring by curtailing their exposure to potential risks, as against helping them develop coping strategies to enable them to stay safe in community settings and be competent to avoid and address potential or actual risks. Finally, the study aimed to explore the perceptions of teachers who work with young people with learning/communication difficulties, of how much the young people are at risk of being bullied in the community, and how the school curriculum seeks to minimise/prepare young people to address any such risks. Through a multiple case study design, the perceptions of six young people with learning/communication difficulties were explored, as were the perceptions of one of the parents of each of the young people. Three schools were involved: one mainstream and two special schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the young people, with their parents and with one member of staff from each school. In addition, rating scales and photographs were used with the young people. The research was collaborative in that the young people were involved in identifying which places in the community to take photographs of, and took some of the photographs themselves with the help of school staff. The qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis (Thomas, 2009). Findings point to the importance of taking an eco-systemic approach to the issue of how safe young people with learning/communication difficulties feel in the community, and to the issue of bullying.

aBackground: Puberty is considered to be delayed if sexual maturation occurs beyond 13 years in girls and 14 years in boys. Physical consequences of delayed puberty include short stature and immature appearance, relative to their chronological age. Psychosocial consequences include social withdrawal and isolation, teasing and bullying, parental over protection, poor body image, low self-esteem and declining academic performance. Research findings in this area can be conflicting with most of the focus being upon delayed growth. Consequently, the psychosocial impact of delayed puberty remains unclear. This study aimed to explore adolescents’ experiences of delayed puberty from a psychosocial perspective. Method: Five adolescents with delayed puberty attending the Royal Hospital for Sick Children were recruited to the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded and transcribed. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Analysis identified five super-ordinate themes: Confusion Surrounding Diagnosis, Adolescents’ Internal Experience, Adolescents’ External Experience, Coping and Future Prognosis. They reported a range of emotional, behavioural, social and psychological affects. Adolescents utilised various maladaptive and adaptive coping strategies to help them manage the consequences they experience. They reported feelings of confusion and uncertainty surrounding their diagnosis and treatment which may be contributing to the emotional and psychological symptoms. Conclusion: Adolescents reported that delayed puberty only affects certain areas of their life and that they are generally happy with who they are. This study emphasises the importance of adolescents receiving clear information about delayed puberty and its treatment as soon as possible when they first attend the endocrine clinic to help manage the psychological and emotional consequences reported.