title: Mental health problems during puberty: Tanner stage-related differences in specific symptoms. The TRAILS study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate associations between specific mental health problems and pubertal stage in (pre)adolescents participating in the Dutch prospective cohort study TRAILS (first assessment: N=2230, age 11.09±0.56, 50.8% girls; second assessment: N=2149, age 13.56±0.53, 51.0% girls). Mental health was assessed by the Youth Self-Report, pubertal (Tanner) stage by parent-rated drawings of secondary sex characteristics. Overall, higher Tanner stages were related to more reported tiredness, irritability, rule-breaking behaviors, and substance use; and fewer fears and somatic complaints. Girls showed increases in social uncertainty, depressed mood, and worries; boys a decrease in self-criticism. Increasing problems during puberty were mostly related to the process of physical maturation, whereas decreasing problems were rather related to general age-related developments. Pubertal timing was associated with different symptoms than pubertal status or age. Puberty seems to affect girls more negatively than boys.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Center for Psychiatric Epidemiology and Groningen Graduate School Medical Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, CC 72, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands. a.j.oldehinkel@med.umcg.nl
authors.forename: Albertine J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Oldehinkel
authors.forename: Frank C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Verhulst
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ormel
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009426:Netherlands; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011627:Puberty / Q000523:psychology*; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires