Citation
Ryan, Rebecca M.; McKone, Kirsten M.; & Mendle, Jane P. (2017). Age of menarche and depression and in early adulthood: The mediating effects of physical and sexual assault. Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Austin, TX.Abstract
Although it is well documented that puberty, especially early maturation, has significant implications for developmental outcomes, the exact mechanisms underlying the puberty effect have not been elucidated. What has been established, however, is the synergetic relationship between puberty and various levels of the developmental systems, including genetic, hormonal, psychosocial and contextual levels. Therefore, this symposium delineates the complex mechanisms of underlying puberty effects on development using the framework of a multiple-levels-of-analyses perspective (Cicchetti & Dawson, 2002). Three papers presented in this symposium will show how hormonal, cognitive, and contextual factors are intertwined in the pathways linking pubertal maturation with developmental functioning of adolescents. The first paper highlights the intricate roles of social and cognitive factors in the association between early maturation and externalizing behaviors, where peer delinquency partially explains the puberty-externalizing link, which is moderated by cognitive flexibility. The second investigation explores the significance of puberty and social factors in psychopathology by revealing the mediating role of physical and sexual assault in the link between early menarche and later depression. Finally, the third paper explores the relation between puberty and associated hormonal changes in adolescence, by investigating the contributions of maltreatment chronicity and pubertal timing to coupling of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (e.g., cortisol) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (e.g., DHEA). Findings indicate that maltreatment may disrupt the normative developmental influences of PT on cortisol-DHEA coupling, with more chronic maltreatment shifting the coupling pattern, especially in girls. The utility of a multiple-levels-of-analyses perspective in understanding consequences of pubertal maturation will be discussed.Reference Type
Conference proceedingBook Title
Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child DevelopmentAuthor(s)
Ryan, Rebecca M.McKone, Kirsten M.
Mendle, Jane P.