Adolescent health briefInteractive Roles of Pubertal Timing and Peer Relations in Predicting Social Anxiety Symptoms Among Youth
Section snippets
Participants
A total of 225 adolescents, aged 10–17 years, were recruited from the community via flyers for an investigation concerning adolescent emotional vulnerability. Of these, 167 (80 female; mean age = 14.48 years; SD = 2.24) completed all measures addressed in the present study. Importantly, this sub-sample did not differ from those with missing data on any theoretically important variables (e.g., age, SA). The racial composition reflected the make-up of the local area (87.4% Caucasian).
Measures and procedure
Consistent
Results
In regard to pubertal timing, 23.4% were early, 56.3% on time, and 20.4% late. Scores on the RCADS-SP ranged from 0–24 (mean = 8.38; SD = 4.79); YSR scores ranged from 0–15 (mean = 3.71; SD = 3.02).
Two hierarchical regression analyses were conducted, with late maturation evaluated as a complementary analysis. In an effort to assess the unique contribution of the variables of interest, age, gender, and depression scores were entered at step one. Pubertal timing ratings were dummy coded (0 =
Discussion
The current study suggests that early pubertal timing combined with problematic peer relations is associated with enhanced vulnerability to SA among adolescents. These findings complement a recent trend in the literature examining developmentally relevant factors (e.g., childhood illness) in the onset and maintenance of SA [3], [4], [9]. Although this particular line of research is still in its infancy, it coalesces nicely with the considerable body of work examining pubertal maturation in the
Acknowledgment
The authors thank William H. Levine, Ph.D., for his invaluable assistance with this project.
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2013, PsychoneuroendocrinologyCitation Excerpt :However, this is not necessarily the case, as a number of studies show that early puberty is often associated with increased risk for mood and anxiety disorders as well as social impairments during late adolescence and adulthood, particularly in girls (Graber et al., 1997; Mendle et al., 2007; Nelson et al., 2005; Reardon et al., 2009; Zehr et al., 2007). The mechanisms responsible for the emergence of socio-emotional problems in early developing individuals are poorly understood, but likely reflect the interaction of the social demands of adolescence and a developing brain (Angold and Costello, 2006; Blumenthal et al., 2009; Casey et al., 2010; Patton and Viner, 2007; Walker et al., 2004). While the consequences of puberty on subsequent emotional development and adult behavior have received significant attention, what is less understood are the social, physiological, and environmental factors that actually alter the initiation and progression of puberty.