The association between pubertal status and depressive symptoms and diagnoses in adolescent females: A population-based cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is an association between puberty and depression, but many things remain poorly understood. When assessing puberty in females, most studies combine indicators of breast and pubic hair development which are controlled by different hormonal pathways. The contributions of pubertal timing (age at onset) and pubertal status (stage of development, irrespective of timing) are also poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that stage of breast development in female adolescents, controlled largely by increased estradiol, would be more strongly associated with depression than pubic hair development which occurs in both males and females, and is controlled by adrenal androgens. We investigated whether this association was independent of pubertal timing.

Methods

ROOTS

SUBMITTER: Lewis G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6005470 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature