Development's tortoise and hare: pubertal timing, pubertal tempo, and depressive symptoms in boys and girls.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Prospective longitudinal cohort study tracking developmental trajectories over 4 years.
PubMed 20822243 · doi:10.1037/a0020205
What was done
A 4-year prospective longitudinal cohort study examined how pubertal timing (more advanced development at an earlier age) and pubertal tempo (rate of intraindividual change in developmental stage) predicted depressive symptoms. The study used latent growth curve modeling in a sample of children from New York City area public schools (138 girls, mean age 8.86 years at baseline; 128 boys, mean age 9.61 years at baseline; total N = 266). Pubertal staging was indexed via parent-reported Tanner stages.
What was found
The abstract does not report numerical effect sizes, test statistics, or p-values. Directionally, for girls (N = 138), pubertal timing was the most salient predictor of depressive symptoms, and pubertal tempo was not statistically significant. For boys (N = 128), both pubertal timing and pubertal tempo were statistically significant, with the effects of pubertal tempo being stronger than those of timing.
Why it matters
The study indicates that the rate of maturation (tempo) and the onset of maturation (timing) represent distinct developmental risk factors for adolescent depressive symptoms, operating differently in boys and girls.
Limits
Pubertal development was measured via parent-reported Tanner stages rather than clinical examination or hormonal assays. The sample was modest in size (266 children) and recruited solely from New York City public schools. The abstract does not provide exact effect sizes, confidence intervals, or specific numerical values.
Cited by
- supports Boys' emotional development is more heavily affected by the pace or tempo of puberty than by the age at which puberty starts.