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Ethnic differences in the association between pubertal status and symptoms of depression in adolescent girls
C Hayward1, I H Gotlib, P K Schraedley
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, California 94305-5542, USA.
Purpose:
To examine the importance of chronologic age versus pubertal status in predicting adolescent girls' depressive symptoms in different ethnic groups.
Methods:
A national probability sample was used to obtain a representative cohort of 3216 adolescents, 5th through 8th grades. Subjects completed a questionnaire, which included a modified version of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and an assessment of timing of menarche.
Results:
Among Caucasians, post-menarcheal adolescent girls had higher depression scores than did same-aged pre-menarcheal girls. Boys and pre-menarcheal girls had similar depression scores in most age groups. Among African-Americans and Hispanics, there were no menarche-associated differences in depressive symptoms.
Conclusion:
In early adolescence pubertal status is a better predictor of depressive symptoms than chronological age in Caucasian, but not African-American or Hispanic girls.