Beyond the diathesis‐stress paradigm: Effect of the environmental sensitivity × pubertal tempo interaction on depressive symptoms

Abstract

Based on the Differential Susceptibility Theory, we examined whether the relationship between pubertal maturation and depressive symptoms can be moderated by individual differences in environmental sensitivity. The current article used the three-wave data collected from Japanese adolescents aged from 12 to 15 years (girls = 111, boys = 98). Consequently, a significant Sensitivity x Pubertal Development interaction was observed in 12-to 13-year-old boys, but not girls. Sensitive boys who experienced accelerated physical maturation reported decreased depressive symptoms, while those who experienced less maturation had increased depressive symptoms. The shape of the interaction supported both the Differential Susceptibility Theory and the Diathesis-Stress Model. Our findings suggest that sensitivity during early puberty among boys could be reconsidered as susceptibility rather than vulnerability.

Editorial – « Directions 2022 »

“…Echoing one of our recent special issue on the impact of environmental contaminants on child and adolescent development (Trentacosta & Austin, 2022), Jiang and Li (2022) present a large study based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) outlining the association between environmental exposure to perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate with overweight/obesity and central obesity among children and adolescents in the US. Similarly, based upon the differential susceptibility theory, Iimura and colleagues (2022) examined whether the relationship between pubertal maturation and depressive symptoms can be moderated by individual differences in environmental sensitivity, in a longitudinal study of Japanese adolescents. Finally, Joseph (2022) proposes a model of health capacity development that outlines three capacities that can mitigate health management in inequitable contexts, and discusses its theoretical and research implications.…”