Early and late perceived pubertal timing as risk factors for anxiety disorders in adult women

Anxiety disorders generally have an early age of onset and can contribute to the development of comorbid disorders later in life. Thus, it is important to identify adolescent risk factors for anxiety. Past research has identified early pubertal timing as a risk factor for anxiety, typically measured as a general construct through self-report. The current study used data from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R) to examine recollection of early and late menarche as a predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), specific phobias (SP), social anxiety disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and panic disorder (PD) among women. Findings showed that early timing predicted increased risk of a lifetime diagnosis of PTSD, SP, and SAD, whereas late pubertal timing only predicted increased rates of SAD. Examination of race as a potential moderator of these relationships did not yield significant findings, but these analyses were limited by low power. Other limitations and future directions are discussed.