Association of early pubertal timing with externalizing behavior in adolescent girls

Aberrance in maturational timing in girls seems to increase risk for emotional and behavioral problems during adolescence and early adulthood. This association is typically interpreted causally: early puberty initiates a cascade of psychosocial consequences that produce pathological outcomes. But despite an abundance of theoretical explanations, very little is understood about the mechanisms by which a comparatively precocious puberty influences adolescent problem behavior for girls. Since genetic and family environmental factors are well-documented for both timing of physical development and many of the disorders associated with early maturation, it is therefore difficult to disentangle how timing of maturation affects the emergence of adolescent symptomatology independent of familial propensity for particular disorders. This project utilized genetically informed research designs to investigate how early physical development in adolescent girls relates to three different domains of externalizing behavior: alcohol use, delinquency, and risky sexual behavior. Results supported a causal role of pubertal timing. Surprisingly, effects were mediated along shared environmental rather than genetic pathways. These findings hold both clinical and conceptual relevance, as an increased understanding of how normal developmental processes go awry can inform both intervention strategies and future research.