Kids These Days

Are you ever wondering why 12-year-olds these days don’t seem to have the awkward stage we did in middle school? There actually may be a scientific reason for this. The age of puberty has been decreasing for centuries, especially in girls, which has had detrimental effects on their mental and physical health (Kaplowitz & Bloch, 2016). Luckily, the rate of the decline is starting to naturally slow down (Kaplowitz & Bloch, 2016).

Currently, the average age of puberty in boys is around 13.4 years, and the average age of puberty in girls is around 12.4 years old (Nieuwenhuis, et al., 2020). Many factors determine the timing of puberty, including a person’s genetics, the hormonal activity of their hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands, and their percentage of body fat (Nieuwenhuis, et al., 2020). 

Puberty is considered early onset, or “precocious”, if it begins before the age 8 for females and the age of 9 for males (Kaplowitz & Bloch, 2016). Just like there are many factors that contribute to “normal” puberty timing, there are many things that can cause it to go wrong. One of the most well-known causes of early-onset puberty is childhood sexual abuse (Noll, et al., 2017). Another risk factor is low birth weight, which can cause an earlier onset of up to 1.6 years (Ibánez, Ferrer, Marcos, Hierro & de Zegher, 2000). Race also appears to have some connection to the age at which early onset puberty commonly begins with African Americans at 2 years early and Caucasians at only 1 year (Rosenfield, et al., 2000). According to an epidemiological study in 2020, obesity seems to have a relationship with early onset puberty, though it is unknown whether it is a causative relationship or if they can both be consequences of the same biomolecule (Nieuwenhuis, et al., 2020).

There is a positive correlation between early onset puberty and mental illness in teens, though it is unknown which of these two factors precedes or causes the other (Mensah, Bayer, Wake, Carlin, Allen & Patton, 2013). One study in 2013 attempts to research this connection further (Mensah, et al., 2013). The study recorded the pubertal maturation and psychosocial behavior of 3,500 children four times between ages 4 to 11 (Mensah, et al., 2013). Results show that children of either sex showed poor psychological adjustment if they experienced early onset puberty, and these detriments to adjustment occurred even as early as 4 years old (Mensah, et al., 2013). This suggests that the underlying cause was already occurring or present before puberty began (Mensah, et al., 2013). These behavioral disorders extend into adolescence. Females who experienced an earlier onset of puberty often report depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders, including, bulimia (this connection is even seen in males, who normally have a much lower incidence) and early sexual activity, which presents risks of its own (Kaltiala-Heino, Rimpel, Rissanen & Rantanen, 2003; Kaltiala-Heino, et al., 2001). Suicidal thoughts, depression, and substance abuse are also commonly seen in males who experienced early puberty (Kaltiala-Heino, Rimpel, Rissanen & Rantanen, 2003).

There are treatments to prevent early onset puberty which can be detrimental to the health and psychosocial state of a child. Pediatricians often try to slow or prevent this from occurring once signs appear by treating with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists until the child is an appropriate age, between 10-12 (Kaplowitz & Bloch, 2016). It is vital to find the right timing with this medication in order to prevent any longterm side effects and maximize beneficence to the child.

 

 

Kaltiala-Heino, R., Rimpel, M., Rissanen, A., & Rantanen, P. (2001). Early puberty and early sexual activity are associated with bulimic-type eating pathology in middle adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 28(4), 346-352.

 

Kaltiala-Heino, R., Marttunen, M., Rantanen, P., & Rimpelä, M. (2003). Early puberty is associated with mental health problems in middle adolescence. Social science & medicine, 57(6), 1055-1064.

 

Kaplowitz, P., & Bloch, C. (2016). Evaluation and referral of children with signs of early puberty. Pediatrics, 137(1), e20153732.

 

Ibánez, L., Ferrer, A., Marcos, M. V., Hierro, F. R., & de Zegher, F. (2000). Early puberty: rapid progression and reduced final height in girls with low birth weight. Pediatrics, 106(5), e72-e72.

 

Mensah, F. K., Bayer, J. K., Wake, M., Carlin, J. B., Allen, N. B., & Patton, G. C. (2013). Early puberty and childhood social and behavioral adjustment. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53(1), 118-124.

 

Nieuwenhuis, D., Pujol‐Gualdo, N., Arnoldussen, I. A., & Kiliaan, A. J. (2020). Adipokines: A gear shift in puberty. Obesity Reviews, 21(6), e13005.

 

Noll, J. G., Trickett, P. K., Long, J. D., Negriff, S., Susman, E. J., Shalev, I., ... & Putnam, F. W. (2017). Childhood sexual abuse and early timing of puberty. Journal of Adolescent Health, 60(1), 65-71.

Rosenfield, R. L., Bachrach, L. K., Chernausek, S. D., Gertner, J. M., Gottschalk, M., Hardin, D. S., ... & Saenger, P. (2000). Current age of onset of puberty. Pediatrics, 106(3), 622-623.