Earlier and faster puberty were associated with poorer adolescent mental health
A Danish cohort linked pubertal timing and pace with self-rated health, psychiatric medicine collection and diagnoses, with the strongest associations among females.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In this Danish cohort, adolescents who reached pubertal milestones earlier or progressed through puberty faster had higher odds of unfavorable mental health outcomes. Later timing and slower progression were associated with lower odds, and associations were strongest among females. The findings describe patterns across groups and do not show that puberty timing causes mental illness.
The abstract gives no odds ratios or confidence intervals, so the size and precision of the associations cannot be judged. It also does not list the factors included in the adjusted analyses.
Timing and pace
Timing concerned when milestones occurred, while tempo concerned how quickly puberty progressed. Researchers used repeated reports of physical development and examined self-rated health, collection of prescribed psychiatric medicines, and diagnoses recorded in national registers.
Different kinds of outcomes
These outcomes capture different aspects of health and care. Collecting a prescribed medicine is distinct from receiving a psychiatric diagnosis, while self-rated health reflects participants' own assessment. The abstract reports their associations together without giving numerical estimates.
The original publication
Pubertal development and mental health: A population-based cohort study on self-rated health, psychotropic medication, and psychiatric diagnoses.
Gaml-Sørensen A, Thomsen AML, Clemmensen PJ et al.
J Affect Disord · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41456714
- Record checked
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