Abstract
Pubertal timing may be influenced by typical variations in early family environmental events, but questions remain concerning the roles of specific parenting factors, developmental age of exposure to events, moderation by child temperament, and comparability of effects for girls and boys. This study focused on these questions utilizing longitudinal data from 733 same-sex twins (45% girls) in the U.S.; family context was measured at ages 1–3, 4–5, and 6–7 years and pubertal status was assessed annually via self-report at ages 9–15, enabling estimates of pubertal timing. Home environment at ages 4–5 years predicted pubertal timing better than home environment at other ages for both girls and boys, but parent personality was more predictive than home experiences (e.g., divorce, parental harshness, family conflict). Thus, effects of family environment must be considered within the context of parent characteristics, encouraging caution in implicating early environmental experiences as direct influences on early pubertal timing.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Sally-Ann Rhea for overseeing the data collection and management. We are grateful for the continuing participation of the LTS subjects who make longitudinal data analyses possible.
Funding
The research reported here was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants AG046938, HD010333, HD036773, and DA011015.
Data Sharing and DeclarationThe datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the fourth author on reasonable request.
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L.D. participated in the conception of the study, conducted statistical analyses, and helped draft the paper; H.P. participated in the conception of the study and helped edit the paper; R.C. participated in the conception of the study, participated in data distribution and analyses, and helped edit the paper; S.W. contributed to data acquisition and helped edit the paper; S.B. participated in the conception of the study, participated in its design, and helped draft and edit the paper. All authors read and approved the final paper.
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DiLalla, L.F., Pham, H.T., Corley, R.P. et al. Family Experiences and Parent Personality as Antecedents of Pubertal Timing in Girls and Boys. J Youth Adolescence 50, 1017–1033 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01424-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01424-0