The Role of Peer Stress and Pubertal Timing on Symptoms of Psychopathology During Early Adolescence

Stress is known to amplify the link between pubertal timing and psychopathology. However, few studies have examined the role
of peer stress as a context for this link. The present study examined the interaction between perceived pubertal timing and
peer stress on symptoms of psychopathology in early adolescence. The sample consisted of 264 students (63% female; M
_age = 12.40, SD = 1.00; 55% Caucasian, 23% African American, 7% Latino, 11% biracial and 4% other). Higher peer stress was associated
with symptoms of anxiety/depression; this effect did not vary by timing or gender. However, early-maturing girls with high
peer stress demonstrated higher rates of relational and overt aggression compared to other girls. Findings also suggested
that late-maturing boys with high stress are at risk for aggression problems; however, due to the small number of boys, analyses
were exploratory. Overall, results suggest that developmentally salient contexts as indicated by stressful peer experiences
may pose unique threats to early maturing girls and possibly late-maturing boys.