Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T19:27:14.817Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Does puberty affect the development of behavior problems as a mediator, moderator, or unique predictor?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2019

Adriene M. Beltz Open the ORCID record for Adriene M. Beltz [Opens in a new window] ,
Robin P. Corley ,
Sally J. Wadsworth ,
Lisabeth F. DiLalla  and
Sheri A. Berenbaum
Adriene M. Beltz*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Robin P. Corley
Affiliation:
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Sally J. Wadsworth
Affiliation:
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
Lisabeth F. DiLalla
Affiliation:
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale, IL, USA
Sheri A. Berenbaum
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychology and Pediatrics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
*
Author for Correspondence: Adriene M. Beltz, Department of Psychology, 2227 East Hall, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI48109. E-mail: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Pubertal timing matters for psychological development. Early maturation in girls is linked to risk for depression and externalizing problems in adolescence and possibly adulthood, and early and late maturation in boys are linked to depression. It is unclear whether pubertal timing uniquely predicts problems; it might instead mediate the continuity of behavior problems from childhood to adolescence or create psychological risk specifically in youth with existing problems, thus moderating the link. We investigated these issues in 534 girls and 550 boys, measuring pubertal timing by a logistic model fit to annual self-report measures of development and, in girls, age at menarche. Prepuberty internalizing and externalizing behavior problems were reported by parents. Adolescent behavior problems were reported by parents and youth. As expected, behavior problems were moderately stable. Pubertal timing was not predicted by childhood problems, so it did not mediate the continuity of behavior problems from childhood to adolescence. Pubertal timing did not moderate links between early and later problems for girls. For boys, early maturation accentuated the link between childhood problems and adolescent substance use. Overall, the replicated links between puberty and behavior problems appear to reflect the unique effects of puberty and child behavior problems on the development of adolescent behavior problems.

Keywords

adolescent developmentexternalizing behavior problemsinternalizing behavior problemspubertal timing
Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 32 , Special Issue 4: Conceptualizing and Interrogating Autism Spectrum Disorder from a Developmental Psychopathology Framework , October 2020 , pp. 1473 - 1485
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist: 4–18 and 1991 Profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont.Google Scholar
Akaike, H. (1974). A new look at the statistical model identification. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Transactions on Automatic Control, 19, 716–723. doi:10.1109/TAC.1974.1100705CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Belsky, J., Steinberg, L. D., Houts, R. M., Friedman, S. L., DeHart, G., Cauffman, E., … Susman, E. (2007). Family rearing antecedents of pubertal timing. Child Development, 78, 1302–1321. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01067.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beltz, A. M. (2018). Gendered mechanisms underlie the relation between pubertal timing and adult depressive symptoms. Journal of Adolescent Health, 62, 722–728. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.12.019CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beltz, A. M., Corley, R. P., Bricker, J. B., Wadsworth, S. J., & Berenbaum, S. A. (2014). Modeling pubertal timing and tempo and examining links to behavior problems. Developmental Psychology, 50, 2715–2726. doi:10.1037/a0038096CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blakemore, S. J., Burnett, S., & Dahl, R. E. (2010). The role of puberty in the developing adolescent brain. Human Brain Mapping, 31, 926–933. doi:10.1002/hbm.21052CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bornstein, M. H., Hahn, C. S., & Haynes, O. M. (2010). Social competence, externalizing, and internalizing behavioral adjustment from early childhood through early adolescence: Developmental cascades. Development and Psychopathology, 22, 717–735. doi:10.1017/s0954579410000416CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bricker, J. B., Stallings, M. C., Corley, R. P., Wadsworth, S. J., Bryan, A., Timberlake, D. S., … DeFries, J. C. (2006). Genetic and environmental influences on age at sexual initiation in the Colorado Adoption Project. Behavior Genetics, 36, 820–832. doi:10.1007/s10519-006-9079-2CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brooker, R. J., Berenbaum, S. A., Bricker, J., Corley, R. P., & Wadsworth, S. A. (2012). Pubertal timing as a potential mediator of adoption effects on problem behaviors. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 22, 739–745. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2012.00820.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, J., Cohen, P., Chen, H., Smailes, E., & Johnson, J. G. (2004). Sexual trajectories of abused and neglected youths. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 25, 77–82. doi:10.1097/00004703-200404000-00001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Button, T. M. M., Hewitt, J. K., Rhee, S. H., Corley, R. P., & Stallings, M. C. (2010). The moderating effect of religiosity on the genetic variance of problem alcohol use. Alcoholism-Clinical and Experimental Research, 34, 1619–1624. doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2010.01247.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Campbell, S. B., Shaw, D. S., & Gilliom, M. (2000). Early externalizing behavior problems: Toddlers and preschoolers at risk for later maladjustment. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 467–488. doi:10.1017/s0954579400003114CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (1991). Individual differences are accentuated during periods of social change: The sample case of girls at puberty. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 157–168. doi:10.1037//0022-3514.61.1.157CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Copeland, W., Shanahan, L., Miller, S., Costello, E. J., Angold, A., & Maughan, B. (2010). Outcomes of early pubertal timing in young women: A prospective population-based study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 167, 1218–1225. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2010.09081190CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corley, R. P., Beltz, A. M., Wadsworth, S. J., & Berenbaum, S. A. (2015). Genetic influences on pubertal development and links to behavior problems. Behavior Genetics, 45, 294–312. doi:10.1007/s10519-015-9719-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cottler, L. B., & Keating, S. K. (1990). Operationalization of alcohol and drug dependence criteria by means of a structured interview. Recent Developments in Alcoholism, 8, 69–83.Google ScholarPubMed
Crowley, T. J., Mikulich, S. K., Ehlers, K. M., Whitmore, E. A., & MacDonald, M. J. (2001). Validity of structured clinical evaluations in adolescents with conduct and substance problems. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 265–273. doi:10.1097/00004583-200103000-00005CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dahl, R. E., & Gunnar, M. R. (2009). Heightened stress responsiveness and emotional reactivity during pubertal maturation: Implications for psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 1–6. doi:10.1017/s0954579409000017CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Deardorff, J., Ekwaru, J. P., Kushi, L. H., Ellis, B. J., Greenspan, L. C., Mirabedi, A., … Hiatt, R. A. (2011). Father absence, body mass index, and pubertal timing in girls: Differential effects by family income and ethnicity. Journal of Adolescent Health, 48, 441–447. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.07.032CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dorn, L. D., Dahl, R. E., Woodward, H. R., & Biro, F. (2006). Defining the boundaries of early adolescence: A user's guide to assessing pubertal status and pubertal timing in research with adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 10, 30–56. doi:10.1207/s1532480xads1001_3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edelbrock, C., Costello, A. J., Dulcan, M. K., Conover, N. C., & Kala, R. (1986). Parent–child agreement on child psychiatric symptoms assessed via structured interview. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 27, 181–190. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1986.tb02329.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ellis, B. J. (2004). Timing of pubertal maturation in girls: An integrated life history approach. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 920–958. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.130.6.920CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gaysina, D., Richards, M., Kuh, D., & Hardy, R. (2015). Pubertal maturation and affective symptoms in adolescence and adulthood: Evidence from a prospective birth cohort. Development and Psychopathology, 27, 1331–1340. doi:10.1017/s0954579414001448CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ge, X. J., & Natsuaki, M. N. (2009). In search of explanations for early pubertal timing effects on developmental psychopathology. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18, 327–331. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2009.01661.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graber, J. A. (2013). Pubertal timing and the development of psychopathology in adolescence and beyond. Hormones and Behavior, 64, 262–269. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.04.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graber, J. A., Lewinsohn, P. M., Seeley, J. R., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1997). Is psychopathology associated with the timing of pubertal development? Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1768–1776. doi:10.1097/00004583-199712000-00026CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graber, J. A., Seeley, J. R., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Lewinsohn, P. M. (2004). Is pubertal timing associated with psychopathology in young adulthood? Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 718–726. doi:10.1097/01.chi.0000120022.14101.11CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamaker, E. L., van Hattum, P., Kuiper, R. M., & Hoijtink, H. (2011). Model selection based on information criteria in multilevel modeling. In Hox, J. & Roberts, J.K. (Eds.), Handbook of advanced multilevel analysis (pp. 231–255). New York: Taylor & Francis.Google Scholar
Hollenstein, T., Granic, I., Stoolmiller, M., & Snyder, J. (2004). Rigidity in parent–child interactions and the development of externalizing and internalizing behavior in early childhood. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32, 595–607. doi:10.1023/b:jacp.0000047209.37650.41CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huang, B., Hillman, J., Biro, F. M., Ding, L. L., Dorn, L. D., & Susman, E. J. (2012). Correspondence between gonadal steroid hormone concentrations and secondary sexual characteristics assessed by clinicians, adolescents, and parents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 22, 381–391. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2011.00773.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Icenogle, G., Steinberg, L., Olino, T. M., Shulman, E. P., Chein, J., Alampay, L. P., … Uribe Tirado, L. M. (2017). Puberty predicts approach but not avoidance on the Iowa Gambling Task in a multinational sample. Child Development, 88, 1598–1614. doi:10.1111/cdev.12655CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
James, J., Ellis, B. J., Schlomer, G. L., & Garber, J. (2012). Sex-specific pathways to early puberty, sexual debut, and sexual risk taking: Tests of an integrated evolutionary-developmental model. Developmental Psychology, 48, 687–702. doi:10.1037/a0026427CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keyes, M. A., Sharma, A., Elkins, I. J., Iacono, W. G., & McGue, M. (2008). The mental health of US adolescents adopted in infancy. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 162, 419–425. doi:10.1001/archpedi.162.5.419CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, K., & Smith, P. K. (1999). Family relations in early childhood and reproductive development. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 17, 133–148. doi:10.1080/02646839908409093CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marceau, K., Ram, N., Houts, R. M., Grimm, K. J., & Susman, E. J. (2011). Individual differences in boys' and girls' timing and tempo of puberty: Modeling development with nonlinear growth models. Developmental Psychology, 47, 1389–1409. doi:10.1037/a0023838CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mason, P., & Narad, C. (2005). Long-term growth and puberty concerns in international adoptees. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 52, 1351–1368. doi:10.1016/j.pcl.2005.06.016CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McElroy, E., Shevlin, M., & Murphy, J. (2017). Internalizing and externalizing disorders in childhood and adolescence: A latent transition analysis using ALSPAC data. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 75, 75–84. doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2017.03.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mendle, J., Ryan, R. M., & McKone, K. M. P. (2018). Age at menarche, depression, and antisocial behavior in adulthood. Pediatrics, 141(1), e20171703. doi:10.1542/peds.2017-1703CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mendle, J., Turkheimer, E., & Emery, R. E. (2007). Detrimental psychological outcomes associated with early pubertal timing in adolescent girls. Developmental Review, 27, 151–171. doi:10.1016/j.dr.2006.11.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mensah, F. K., Bayer, J. K., Wake, M., Carlin, J. B., Allen, N. B., & Patton, G. C. (2013). Early puberty and childhood social and behavioral adjustment. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53, 118–124. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.12.018CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Negriff, S., Blankson, A. N., & Trickett, P. K. (2015). Pubertal timing and tempo: Associations with childhood maltreatment. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 25(2), 201–213. doi:10.1111/jora.12128CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Negriff, S., & Susman, E. J. (2011). Pubertal timing, depression, and externalizing problems: A framework, review, and examination of gender differences. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 717–746. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00708.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Obradović, J., Pardini, D. A., Long, J. D., & Loeber, R. (2007). Measuring interpersonal callousness in boys from childhood to adolescence: An examination of longitudinal invariance and temporal stability. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 36, 276–292. doi:10.1080/15374410701441633CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Olweus, D. (1979). Stability of aggressive reaction patterns in males: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 852–875. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.86.4.852CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Petersen, A. C., Crockett, L., Richards, M., & Boxer, A. (1988). A self-report measure of pubertal status: Reliability, validity, and initial norms. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 17, 117–133. doi:10.1007/bf01537962CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pinquart, M. (2017). Associations of parenting dimensions and styles with externalizing problems of children and adolescents: An updated meta-analysis. Developmental Psychology, 53, 873–932. doi:10.1037/dev0000295CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plomin, R., & Defries, J. C. (1985). Origins of individual differences in infancy: The Colorado Adoption Project (1st ed.). New York, NY: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Mesurement, 1, 385–401. doi:10.1177/014662167700100306CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raudenbush, S. W., & Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.Google Scholar
Rhea, S. A., Gross, A. A., Haberstick, B. C., & Corley, R. P. (2006). Colorado twin registry. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9, 941–949. doi:10.1375/183242706779462895CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seiffge-Krenke, I., & Kollmar, F. (1998). Discrepancies between mothers' and fathers' perceptions of sons' and daughters' problem behaviour: A longitudinal analysis of parent–adolescent agreement on internalising and externalising problem behaviour. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 39, 687–697. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00368Google ScholarPubMed
Shaffer, D., Fisher, P., Lucas, C. P., Dulcan, M. K., & Schwab-Stone, M. E. (2000). NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (NIMH DISC-IV): Description, differences from previous versions, and reliability of some common diagnoses. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 28–38. doi:10.1097/00004583-200001000-00014CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shirtcliff, E. A., Dahl, R. E., & Pollak, S. D. (2009). Pubertal development: Correspondence between hormonal and physical development. Child Development, 80, 327–337. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01263.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sourander, A., Helstela, L., & Helenius, H. (1999). Parent–adolescent agreement on emotional and behavioral problems. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 34, 657–663. doi:10.1007/s001270050189CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stallings, M. C., Corley, R. P., Hewitt, J. K., Krauter, K. S., Lessem, J. M., Mikulich, S. K., … Crowley, T. J. (2003). A genome-wide search for quantitative trait loci influencing substance dependence vulnerability in adolescence. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 70, 295–307. doi:10.1016/s0376-8716(03)00031-0CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tither, J. M., & Ellis, B. J. (2008). Impact of fathers on daughters' age at menarche: A genetically and environmentally controlled sibling study. Developmental Psychology, 44, 1409–1420. doi:10.1037/a0013065CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Verhulst, F. C., & van der Ende, J. (1995). The eight-year stability of problem behavior in an epidemiologic sample. Pediatric Research, 38, 612–617. doi:10.1203/00006450-199510000-00023CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wadsworth, S. J., Corley, R. P., DeFries, J. C., Fulker, D. W., Carey, G., & Plomin, R. (1997). Substance experimentation in the Colorado Adoption Project. Personality and Individual Differences, 23, 463–471. doi:10.1016/S0191-8869(97)80012-8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Beltz et al. supplementary material

Beltz et al. supplementary material

Download Beltz et al. supplementary material(File)
File 37.7 KB