Abstract
Earlier research has associated early puberty with emotional and behavioral symptoms particularly among girls, while among
boys, findings have been contradictory as to whether risks are associated with early or late pubertal timing. We studied the
association between pubertal timing and substance use behaviors in middle adolescence in a 2-year follow up study of 2,070
(mean age 15.5 years, SD 0.36; 56.4% females) Finnish adolescents. Pubertal timing was measured by age at menarche/oigarche.
Eleven years or less was classified as early, 12–13 years as normative and 14 years or later as late pubertal timing. Substance
use behaviors were elicited by a number of questions related to alcohol use patterns, smoking and cannabis use. As factors
that could explain the association between pubertal timing and substance use, we studied depressive symptoms, delinquency
and aggression, and parental monitoring. In boys, all these substance use behaviors were the more common the earlier the puberty
and the associations persisted at age 17. Among girls, early pubertal timing was similarly associated with substance use behaviors
at age 15, but no longer at age 17. The associations between pubertal timing and substance use behaviors persisted when symptom
dimensions and parental monitoring were added into the models. Early puberty is a risk factor for substance use particularly
among boys. Among girls, the impact of pubertal timing already tempers off during adolescence.
boys, findings have been contradictory as to whether risks are associated with early or late pubertal timing. We studied the
association between pubertal timing and substance use behaviors in middle adolescence in a 2-year follow up study of 2,070
(mean age 15.5 years, SD 0.36; 56.4% females) Finnish adolescents. Pubertal timing was measured by age at menarche/oigarche.
Eleven years or less was classified as early, 12–13 years as normative and 14 years or later as late pubertal timing. Substance
use behaviors were elicited by a number of questions related to alcohol use patterns, smoking and cannabis use. As factors
that could explain the association between pubertal timing and substance use, we studied depressive symptoms, delinquency
and aggression, and parental monitoring. In boys, all these substance use behaviors were the more common the earlier the puberty
and the associations persisted at age 17. Among girls, early pubertal timing was similarly associated with substance use behaviors
at age 15, but no longer at age 17. The associations between pubertal timing and substance use behaviors persisted when symptom
dimensions and parental monitoring were added into the models. Early puberty is a risk factor for substance use particularly
among boys. Among girls, the impact of pubertal timing already tempers off during adolescence.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-14
- DOI 10.1007/s10964-011-9667-1
- Authors
- Riittakerttu Kaltiala-Heino, Medical School, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
- Anna-Maija Koivisto, Tampere School of Public Health, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
- Mauri Marttunen, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland
- Sari Fröjd, Tampere School of Public Health, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland
- Journal Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- Online ISSN 1573-6601
- Print ISSN 0047-2891