Abstract
Early sexual maturation has been associated with higher involvement in risk behaviour during early and mid-adolescence. In a prospective study of 2,129 girls and boys, we investigated whether the timing of sexual maturation was associated with cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking in late adolescence and whether this relation differed between boys and girls. Nine hundred and eighty boys and 1,149 girls, who participated in a cross-sectional study in middle school, were included in a follow-up study in high school 4 years later. Self-rating of pubertal status, as registered at baseline in middle school, was used to indicate the timing of sexual maturation. Age-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), estimated by logistic regression, were used to assess the association between sexual maturation and alcohol drinking and daily smoking at follow-up. We found that girls who had matured early (OR 1.7, CI 1.2–2.4) or late (OR, 1.5, CI, 1.1–2.2) were both more likely to report more advanced drinking in late adolescence than were girls who were on time. Boys who had matured late were less likely (OR 0.5, CI 0.3–0.8) than boys who were on time to engage in advanced drinking. In general, daily smoking was more common among girls than boys, and more common among girls who had matured early (OR 1.5, CI 1.1–2.2) than among girls who were on time. Adjustment for social factors, e.g. parental education and marital status and parental drinking and smoking habits, did not substantially influence these results. We concluded that, for girls, but not for boys, early sexual maturation was associated with more advanced drinking and higher frequency of smoking in late adolescence. In boys, late sexual maturation was associated with reduced risk of advanced drinking.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersson T, Magnusson D (1990) Biological maturation in adolescence and the development of drinking habits and alcohol-abuse among young males—a prospective longitudinal study. J Youth Adolesc 19:33–41
Aro H, Taipale V (1987) The impact of timing of puberty on psychosomatic symptoms among fourteen-to sixteen-year-old Finnish girls. Child Dev 58:261–268
Brooks-Gunn J, Warren MP, Gargiulo J (1987) Validity of self-report measures of girls’ pubertal status. Child Dev 58:829–841
Dick DM, Rose RJ, Viken RJ, Kaprio J (2000) Pubertal timing and substance use: associations between and within families across late adolescence. Dev Psychol 36:180–189
Dick DM, Rose RJ, Pulkkinen L, Kaprio J (2001) Measuring puberty and understanding its impact: a longitudinal study of adolescent twins. J Youth Adolesc 30:385–399
Dorn LD, Dahl RE, Williamson DE, Birmaher B, Axelson D, Perel J, Stull SD, Ryan ND (2003) Developmental markers in adolescence: implications for studies of pubertal processes. J Youth Adolesc 32:315–324
Dorn LD, Susman EJ, Ponirakis A (2003) Pubertal timing and adolescent adjustment and behavior: conclusions vary by rater. J Youth Adolesc 32:157–167
DuRant RH, Smith JA, Kreiter SR, Krowchuk DP (1999) The relationship between early age of onset of initial substance use and engaging in multiple health risk behaviors among young adolescents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 153:286–291
Ellickson PL, Tucker JS, Klein DJ (2003) Ten-year prospective study of public health problems associated with early drinking. Pediatrics 111:949–955
Graber JA, Brooks-Gunn J, Warren MP (1995) The antecedents of menarcheal age: heredity, family environment, and stressful life events. Child Dev 66:346–359
Harrell JS, Bangdiwala SI, Deng S, Webb JP, Bradley C (1998) Smoking initiation in youth: the roles of gender, race, socioeconomics, and developmental status. J Adolesc Health 23:271–279
Hellandsjo Bu ET, Watten RG, Foxcroft DR, Ingebrigtsen JE, Relling G (2002) Teenage alcohol and intoxication debut: the impact of family socialization factors, living area and participation in organized sports. Alcohol Alcohol 37:74–80
Holmen TL, Barrett-Connor E, Holmen J, Bjermer L (2000) Health problems in teenage daily smokers versus non-smokers, Norway, 1995–1997: the Nord-Trondelag Health Study. Am J Epidemiol 151:148–155
Laitinen-Krispijn S, Van der Ende J, Hazebroek-Kampschreur AAJM, Verhulst FC (1999) Pubertal maturation and the development of behavioural and emotional problems in early adolescence. Acta Psychiatr Scand 99:16–25
Lanza ST, Collins LM (2002) Pubertal timing and the onset of substance use in females during early adolescence. Prev Sci 3:69–82
Magnusson D, Stattin H, Allen VL (1985) Biological maturation and social development—a longitudinal study of some adjustment processes from mid-adolescence to adulthood. J Youth Adolesc 14:267–283
Marti-Henneberg C, Vizmanos B (1997) The duration of puberty in girls is related to the timing of its onset. J Pediatr 131:618–621
Orr DP, Ingersoll GM (1995) The contribution of level of cognitive complexity and pubertal timing to behavioral risk in young adolescents. Pediatrics 95:528–533
Pedersen W, Skrondal A (1998) Alcohol consumption debut: predictors and consequences. J Stud Alcohol 59:32–42
Petersen AC, Crockett L, Richards M, Boxer A (1988) A self-report measure of pubertal status—reliability, validity, and initial norms. J Youth Adolesc 17:117–133
Schlossberger NM, Turner RA, Irwin CE Jr (1992) Validity of self-report of pubertal maturation in early adolescents. J Adolesc Health 13:109–113
Tschann JM, Adler NE, Irwin CE, Millstein SG, Turner RA, Kegeles SM (1994) Initiation of substance use in early adolescence—the roles of pubertal timing and emotional distress. Health Psychol 13:326–333
Wilson DM, Killen JD, Hayward C, Robinson TN, Hammer LD, Kraemer HC, Varady A, Barr Taylor C (1994) Timing and rate of sexual maturation and the onset of cigarette and alcohol use among teenage girls. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 148:789–795
Acknowledgements
We thank the Norwegian Research Council for financial support. The Youth part of the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (The Young-HUNT Study) is a collaboration between the HUNT Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, and Nord-Trøndelag County Council.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bratberg, G.H., Nilsen, T.I.L., Holmen, T.L. et al. Sexual maturation in early adolescence and alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking in late adolescence: a prospective study of 2,129 Norwegian girls and boys. Eur J Pediatr 164, 621–625 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-005-1721-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-005-1721-0