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The role of pubertal timing and temperamental vulnerability in adolescents' internalizing symptoms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 April 2013

Lisa J. Crockett ,
Gustavo Carlo ,
Jennifer M. Wolff  and
Meredith O. Hope
Lisa J. Crockett*
Affiliation:
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Gustavo Carlo
Affiliation:
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Jennifer M. Wolff
Affiliation:
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Meredith O. Hope
Affiliation:
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Lisa Crockett, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308; E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

This longitudinal study examined the joint role of pubertal timing and temperament variables (emotional reactivity and self-regulation) in predicting adolescents' internalizing symptoms. The multiethnic sample included 1,025 adolescent girls and boys followed from age 11 to age 15 (M age = 11.03 years at Time 1). In structural equation models, age 11 measures of pubertal timing, emotional reactivity, and self-regulation and their interactions were used to predict adolescents' internalizing behavior concurrently and at age 15. Results indicated that, among girls, early pubertal timing, higher emotional reactivity, and lower self-regulation predicted increased internalizing behavior. In addition, self-regulation moderated the effect of pubertal timing such that effects of earlier timing on subsequent internalizing were seen primarily among girls with relatively poor self-regulation. Among boys, higher levels of emotional reactivity and lower self-regulation predicted increased internalizing, but there were no effects of pubertal timing. After controlling for Time 1 internalizing symptoms, only self-regulation predicted change in internalizing symptoms. Discussion focuses on the possible interplay of temperament and pubertal development in predicting internalizing problems during adolescence.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , May 2013 , pp. 377 - 389
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

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