Cognitive vulnerabilities amplify the effect of early pubertal timing on interpersonal stress generation during adolescence.
Early pubertal timing has been found to confer risk for the occurrence of interpersonal stressful events during adolescence. However, pre-existing vulnerabilities may exacerbate the effects of early pubertal timing on the occurrence of stressors. Thus, the current study prospectively examined whether cognitive vulnerabilities amplified the effects of early pubertal timing on interpersonal stress generation. In a diverse sample of 310 adolescents (M age = 12.83 years, 55 % female; 53 % African American), early pubertal timing predicted higher levels of interpersonal dependent events among adolescents with more negative cognitive style and rumination, but not among adolescents with lower levels of these cognitive vulnerabilities. These findings suggest that cognitive vulnerabilities may heighten the risk of generating interpersonal stress for adolescents who undergo early pubertal maturation, which may subsequently place adolescents at greater risk for the development of psychopathology.
Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19122, USA, jessica.leigh.hamilton@temple.edu.
Jessica L
JL
Hamilton
Jonathan P
JP
Stange
Evan M
EM
Kleiman
Elissa J
EJ
Hamlat
Lyn Y
LY
Abramson
Lauren B
LB
Alloy
D000293:Adolescent; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003469:Culture; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D010414:Pennsylvania; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011627:Puberty / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012933:Social Identification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires