To examine the association between advancing pubertal status and the emergence of depressive symptoms in boys and girls from a UK cohort.

Self-reported depressive symptoms were assessed using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire at three time-points (10.5, 13 and 14 years). We derived trait measures of depressive symptom level at each time-point using confirmatory factor analysis and compared the 3 depressive symptom factors with pubertal status (using regular self-reported Tanner assessments from 8-14 years) separately in boys (n=2902) and girls (n=2886). Main effects were estimated, adjusted for time lag between assessment of pubertal status and depressive symptoms, and then further adjusted for confounders (social class, maternal education, parental separation, financial problems, housing tenure).

For girls at age 10.5 years, there was little evidence of a relationship between pubertal status and depressive symptoms, with an increase in symptoms of 0.025 SD's for each additional pubertal stage (indicated by Tanner stages 1 through 5) for breast development and 0.023 SD's for each additional stage for pubic-hair development. With increasing age, the association between pubertal stage and depressive symptoms in girls strengthened. At age 14 years, advancement of each pubertal stage represented an increase in 0.13 SD's of depressive symptoms for breast development and 0.10 SD's for pubic hair development. For boys, there was no clear relationship between pubertal development and depressive symptoms at any time-point.

More advanced pubertal status was associated with an increased level of depressive symptoms in girls in early/mid adolescence but not boys.