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The Impact of Asynchronous Pubertal Development on Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood Among Females

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Abstract

Puberty is accompanied by numerous psychological and interpersonal challenges, including a dramatic rise in the prevalence of depression among girls. Pubertal timing has been identified as a potent predictor of depressive symptoms among females, but less is known about other features of puberty. The present study sought to address this gap in the literature by examining the effect of pubertal synchrony, the degree to which morphological indicators of puberty develop concurrently, on depressive symptoms in adolescence and emerging adulthood in a longitudinal sample. Among 355 female participants, asynchronous development at age 13 was associated with increased depressive symptoms at age 20, but not age 15. Additional analyses indicated that pubertal timing moderated the association between synchrony and depressive symptoms at age 20, such that girls who exhibited asynchronous development had the highest levels of depressive symptoms when they matured later than peers. Results provide initial empirical support for the role of pubertal synchrony in the development of depression among females and are discussed with regard to the biopsychosocial processes that may connect features of puberty with the long-term development of psychopathology.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the research teams and project coordinators Robyne Le Brocque, Cheri Dalton Comber, and Sascha Hardwicke as well as the participants in the Mater Cohort for their contribution to this research. The cooperation of Jake Najman of the University of Queensland and head of the MUSP program is gratefully acknowledged. We also thank Karen Rudolph for her thoughtful comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.

Authors’ Contributions

ST conceived of the present study, conducted the statistical analyses, interpreted the data, and drafted the manuscript. CH designed the parent study and assisted in the interpretation of the data and preparation of the manuscript. PB designed the parent study and assisted in the interpretation of the data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health R01-MH052239 and National Science Foundation DGE-0707424.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1563, USA

    Sarah M. Thompson & Constance Hammen

  2. Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Patricia A. Brennan

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  1. Sarah M. Thompson
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Correspondence to Sarah M. Thompson.

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Thompson, S.M., Hammen, C. & Brennan, P.A. The Impact of Asynchronous Pubertal Development on Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood Among Females. J Youth Adolescence 45, 494–504 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0402-1

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