Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 28, 2026

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
Religiosity, depression, and physical maturation in adolescent girls
1Clinical Psychology Program, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. lfm14@columbia.edu
Objective:
To assess the impact of physical maturation on the protective qualities of religiosity against depression in adolescent girls.
Method:
Subjects were 3,356 adolescent girls (mean age 16.0, SD = 1.8) interviewed in 1995 as part of the Wave I In-Home Version of the North Carolina Adolescent Health Study. Maturation was assessed on the basis of self-report of secondary sexual characteristics and age at onset of menstruation. Religiosity was assessed on the basis of personal devotion, personal conservatism, institutional conservatism, and participation in religious community. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with each variable of religiosity used to predict depression, controlling for age and ethnicity.
Results:
Personal devotion and participation in religious community were associated with a 19% to 26% decreased likelihood of depression in non-highly mature girls and a relatively more robust 32% to 43% decreased likelihood of depression in highly mature girls. Personal conservatism and institutional conservatism were associated with a 17% to 24% decreased likelihood of depression among non-highly mature girls, but were not associated with depression in highly mature girls.
Conclusion:
Physical maturation may be associated with the protective qualities of religiosity against depression in adolescent girls.
Related Concept Videos
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Three Developmental Domains
Physical Development
Physical processes, also known as maturation, encompass the biological changes that occur across an individual's life. These changes begin with genetic inheritance and continue through various stages, including growth in height and weight,...
Cognitive Development During Adolescence
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adolescence
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
Sources of Self-Esteem I: Family Experience

