Pubertal timing and educational careers: a longitudinal study.
BACKGROUND
Pubertal timing is related to several dimensions of adolescent development. No studies concern its associations with educational careers.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether pubertal timing predicts attained educational level and how school achievement, educational track and sociodemographic background in adolescence mediate this relationship.


METHODS
Survey data (1981, 1983, 1985) from samples of 12-16-year-old Finns (n = 7674) were linked with the respondents' attained education in 1998 (ages 27-33). Ages of menarche and of first ejaculation were indicators of pubertal timing.


RESULTS
Among boys who by age 16 had experienced early, average or late pubertal timing, 13%, 12%, and 6% reached upper tertiary educational level, respectively. Boys with early or average puberty often came from high social strata and selected educational tracks with good prospects. In girls, sociodemographic factors rather than pubertal timing predicted attained educational level.


CONCLUSIONS
Early or average onset of puberty plays a role in dividing boys into educational tracks after compulsory schooling. Support should be given to boys, whose delayed pubertal development makes them immature to making appropriate educational decisions and to boys who may have experienced early puberty but fail to exploit educational opportunities available for them.
Koivusilta
L
L
Department of Social Policy, FIN-20014 University of Turku, Finland. leena.koivusilta@utu.fi
Rimpelä
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty; D012923:Social Class