Outcomes of early pubertal timing in young women: a prospective population-based study
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: Early pubertal timing in girls is associated with psychosocial problems throughout adolescence, but it is unclear whether these problems persist into young adulthood. The authors analyzed outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood in girls in a longitudinal study. METHOD: The data for this study were from the prospective population-based Great Smoky Mountains Study (N=1,420), which initially recruited children at ages 9, 11, and 13 and followed them into young adulthood. Pubertal timing was defined on the basis of self-reported Tanner stage and age at menarche. Outcome measures included functioning related to crime, substance use, school/peer problems, family relationships, sexual behavior, and mental health in adolescence (ages 13 to 16) as well as crime, substance use, education/socioeconomic status, sexual behavior, and mental health in young adulthood (ages 19 and 21). RESULTS: In adolescence, early-maturing girls displayed higher levels of self-reported criminality, substance use problems, social isolation, early sexual behavior, and psychiatric problems. By young adulthood, most of these differences had attenuated. Functioning for early maturers improved in some areas; in others, on-time and late maturers had caught up with their early-maturing peers. Nevertheless, early-maturing girls, particularly those with a history of adolescent conduct disorder, were more likely to be depressed in young adulthood compared to their counterparts. Early maturers were also more likely to have had many sexual partners. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of early pubertal timing on adolescent psychosocial problems were wide ranging but diminished by young adulthood for all but a small group.
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Early puberty is associated with increased risk for depression, anxiety, negative self-body image, drug use, and symptoms of eating disorders, conduct disorder, and schizophrenia.
“but early puberty is associated with increased risk for depression, anxiety, negative self-body image, drug use, and symptoms of eating disorders, conduct disorder, and schizophrenia (Burt, 2006; Copeland et al., 2010; Ge et al., 2003; Graber et al., 2004; Kaiser and Gruzelier, 1996; Kaiser and Gruzelier, 1999; Obeidallah et al., 2009; Tschann et al., 1994; Whittle et al., 2012; Zehr et al., 2007)”
From Does puberty mark a transition in sensitive periods for plasticity in the associative neocortex? (2017) · cites this paper as Copeland et al., 2010
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- Authors
- Copeland, W., Shanahan, L., Miller, S., Costello, E. J., Angold, A., & Maughan, B.
- Affiliations
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro (US)
- Venue
- American Journal of Psychiatry
- Published
- 2010-10
- Volume
- 167
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1218-1225
- ISSN
- 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
- 1535-7228
- PMC
- PMC2992443
- OpenAlex
- W2040625459
- Cited by
- 271
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 16.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH080230)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA011301)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Keywords
- pubertal timing, adolescent girls, young women, age at menarche, conduct disorder, adolescent depression, adolescent sexual behavior, substance use, criminality, social isolation, peer problems, family relationships, socioeconomic status, Great Smoky Mountains Study
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Age Factors, Mental Disorders, Child, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Longitudinal Studies, Menarche, Peer Group, Prospective Studies, Puberty, Precocious, Sexual Behavior, Conduct Disorder, Substance-Related Disorders, Young Adult
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