Puberty and Its Measurement: A Decade in Review
Abstract
Since the early 1980s, the focus on the importance of puberty to adolescent development has continued with variability in the methodology selected to measure puberty. To capture the relevant and important issues regarding the measurement of puberty in the last decade, this paper will address (1) the neuroendocrine aspects of puberty and its components, as well as the timing of puberty and its tempo; (2) why puberty is measured, including the relevance of puberty and its timing to health and development as well as the relevance of being off‐time, that is, early or late with respect to a reference group; (3) the measurement of puberty and its methodology with respect to pubertal staging by physical examination, self‐report measures, and their agreement with other methods and measures, hormones and their methods of measurement, and comparison of hormone concentrations to pubertal stage; and (4) recommendations for what is needed in the next decade regarding the measurement of puberty.
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At approximately age 17, PDS scores for girls and boys are again at the same level.
“At approximately age 17, PDS scores for girls and boys are again at the same level (Dorn and Biro, 2011).”
From Longitudinal Changes in Adolescent Risk-Taking: A Comprehensive Study of Neural Responses to Rewards, Pubertal Development, and Risk-Taking Behavior (2015) · cites this paper as Dorn and Biro, 2011
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- Authors
- Dorn, L. D., & Biro, F. M.
- Affiliations
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Dorn, Lorah D.
- Venue
- Journal of Research on Adolescence
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2011-02-15
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 180-195
- ISSN
- 1050-8392 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7795
- OpenAlex
- W1499097833
- Cited by
- 378
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 86 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 22 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 21.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Research on Adolescence (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Human Health and Disease
- Keywords
- puberty, pubertal timing, pubertal staging, pubertal hormones, self-report measures, physical examination, measurement agreement, adolescent development
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