Pubertal Timing and Depression in Adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relation between pubertal timing as defined from 2 viewpoints (objective and subjective), and adolescents' depression as mediated by body satisfaction and behaviors aimed at avoiding exposure of one's body. The participants in the study, 503 adolescent junior high school students (252 boys, 251 girls), completed questionnaires. The main results were as follows: (1) No direct relation was found between pubertal timing and adolescents' depression in either boys or girls; (2) whereas subjective pubertal timing was related to body satisfaction for boys, objective pubertal timing was related to body satisfaction for girls; (3) early matured boys had high body satisfaction and low depression, whereas early matured girls had low body satisfaction and high depression; (4) for boys, public self-consciousness was related to body satisfaction and behavior avoiding exposure of one's body, and body satisfaction and behavior avoiding body exposure were related to depression, whereas for girls, public self-consciousness was not related to body satisfaction, but was found to be related to behavior avoiding exposure of one's body, and, in addition, behavior avoiding body exposure was related to depression.