ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

To read the full abstract: Annals of Human Biology vol. 47,1 (2020): 18–24. doi: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03014460.2020.1715476

This cohort study identifies an association between pubertal timing in females and educational attainment as well as risk-taking behaviours in a Brazilian population during economic transition.

Earlier puberty timing is a risk factor for diverse adverse health, psychological and behavioural outcomes (1–5). However, the effect of puberty timing on educational outcomes is still a matter of debate (6–7).

The authors surveyed 2083 women from the Brazilian Pelotas 1982 cohort at age 23 years. Later on, 1912 of them were followed to age 30 years (8). The authors evaluated the link between timing of puberty, defined as early age at menarche (AAM), average AAM and late AAM, and years of full time education; secondary outcomes were sexual behaviours, substance use and socio-economic outcomes. Surprisingly, late AAM was associated with lower educational attainment, whereas the early AAM effect was not statistically significant when compared to average AAM. These results contradict numerous other studies which have reported an association between early AAM and lower educational attainment (9–10). As much of the existing evidence relies on data obtained in high-income countries, these findings highlight that the link between early AAM and education may involve different psychosocial mechanisms. Brazil represents a unique context to study the effects of puberty timing on education outcomes and behaviour, as it only recently underwent an economic transition.

Additionally, the study confirmed that early AAM is associated with younger age at first sexual intercourse and younger age at first alcohol consumption.

This study and its divergent findings highlight the importance to pursue investigations to better clarify the determinants of puberty and its implications on health, psychological parameters and education.

References:

1. Jacobsen BK, Heuch I, Kvåle G. (2007). Association of low age at menarche with increased all-cause mortality: a 37-year follow-up of 61,319 Norwegian women. Am J Epidemiol. 166(12):1431–1437.

2. Lakshman R, Forouhi NG, Sharp SJ, et al. (2009). Early age at menarche associated with cardiovascular disease and mortality. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 94(12):4953–4960.

3. Mendle J, Turkheimer E, Emery RE. (2007). Detrimental Psychological Outcomes Associated with Early Pubertal Timing in Adolescent Girls. Dev Rev. 27(2):151–171.

4. Kågesten A, Blum RW. (2015). Characteristics of youth who report early sexual experiences in Sweden. Arch Sex Behav. 44(3):679–694.

5. Copeland W, Shanahan L, Miller S, Costello EJ, Angold A, Maughan B. (2010). Outcomes of early pubertal timing in young women: a prospective population-based study. Am J Psychiatry. 167(10):1218–1225.

6. Koivusilta L, Rimpelä A. (2004). Pubertal timing and educational careers: a longitudinal study. Ann Hum Biol. 31(4):446–465.

7. Boden JM, Fergusson DM, Horwood LJ. (2011). Age of menarche and psychosocial outcomes in a New Zealand birth cohort. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 50(2):132–140.e5.

8. Victora CG, Barros FC. (2006). Cohort profile: the 1982 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort study. Int J Epidemiol. 35(2):237–242.

9. Graber JA, Seeley JR, Brooks-Gunn J, Lewinsohn PM. (2004). Is pubertal timing associated with psychopathology in young adulthood?. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 43(6):718–726.

10. Cavanagh SE, Riegle-Crumb C, Crosnoe R. (2007) Puberty and the Education of Girls*. Soc Psychol Q. 70(2):186–198.