Longitudinal pattern of early maturation on morning cortisol and depressive symptoms: Sex-specific effects

There is still insufficient understanding of the underlying processes that contribute to internalizing problems of early maturing adolescents. The purpose of this study is to examine the longitudinal pattern of early maturation and its effects on morning cortisol and depressive symptoms among a general population of adolescent cohort aged 8-11 years old at baseline (boys = 424, girls = 288). Results suggest newly-onset early maturation boys have 3-times more likely to have depressive symptoms at 1-year follow-up (adjusted odds ratio = 3.197, 95% confidence interval = 1.595-6.405); while in girls, stable early maturation individuals are more than 4 times as likely to have depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio = 4.566, 95% confidence interval = 1.882-11.077). Morning cortisol has moderating effects in the association of depressive symptoms with newly-onset early maturation in boys and stable early maturation in girls. These findings possibly explain current inconsistent results regarding association between earlier maturation and risk of depression in adolescents. Further longitudinal studies are needed to explore HPG-HPA interactions in adolescence, which may be critical to understanding the heightened susceptibility of mental health problems.