Puberty

Hormonal changes during puberty 

  • Kisspeptin 

  • Adrenarche  

  • Hormonal Changes-> Physical and psychological changes 

 

Psychological Changes of Puberty  

  • Testosterone and estrogen -> changes in brain->changes in behavior 

  • Mental Health 

  • Behavioral Inhibition 

  • Aggression 

  • Learning and Memory- increased social learning 

  • Sensitivity to stressors- less resilient to things that happen to us 

  • Our hormones are not our destiny- not our end all be all 

The Timing of Puberty 

  • So why do things change all of a sudden? 

  • Heredity 

  • Body Composition- level of body fat- Leptin-> Kisspeptin (the more body fat you have the more leptin you have)  

  • Leptin suppresses our appetite  

  • Environment 

  • Melatonin- suppresses Kisspeptin 

  • Factors related to nutrition and health are the most important environmental predictors of puberty. Can cause a change in your menstruation 

  • Early nutrition deficiencies 

  • Chronic Illness 

  • High-Intensity Exercise 

  • Let’s explore some things you may have heard about environmental influences on puberty/sex hormones 

  • Hormones in dairy- The amount of hormones in milk is small compared to what is already circulating in the human body, does not really impact  

  • Chemicals in plastic- BPA in plastics can disrupt hormones in the body if received in large amount, non-conclusive research 

  • Soy- has estrogen-like characteristics, no convincing evidence in humans that soy effects estrogen or testosterone levels 

  • Families also play a role 

  • Could the absence of fathers/presence of stepfathers influence the timing of girl’s puberty?  

  • Father absence, stepfather presence linked to earlier menarche 

  • Maternal mood disorder->Dyadic stress, father absence-> Pubertal timing 

  • Life-History Theory: Early environment programs pubertal timing  

  • Draws on evolutionary theory 

  • In stressful environment, early puberty=evolutionary advantage 

Theories 

  • Maturation disparity/deviance 

  • Early puberty= not as developed in social skills, cognitive skills 

  • At risk for mental health & behavioral issues 

  • Contextual amplification 

  • Stressful environment= more stressful to go through early puberty 

  • Accentuation 

  • Problematic behaviors before puberty are accentuated by early puberty 

Outcomes Associated with Early Puberty (9 years old) 

  • Girls: 

  • More depressive symptoms 

  • Worse health 

  • Worse Self-Image 

  • More popular 

  • Boys: 

  • More antisocial behavior 

  • More substance use 

  • Higher self-image, popularity 

Outcomes Associated with Late Puberty (15 years old) 

  • Girls:  

  • More depressive symptoms 

  • Better Health 

  • Less substance use 

  • Boys:  

  • More depressive symptoms 

  • Less substance use  

  • It’s not bad to be a late bloomer! 

  • Intellectual curiosity