Understanding Puberty and Its Measurement: Ideas for Research in a New Generation

Mendle, Jane; Beltz, Adriene M.; Carter, Rona; Dorn, Lorah D.

doi:10.1111/jora.12371

Cited by 138 publications

(185 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…One exception for males may be the mixed definition of “G2 to final height”, because both the onset of genital development and cessation of growth via epiphyseal closure fall under the control of gonadal hormones. Ultimately, choosing the most appropriate pubertal descriptor(s) and selecting duration‐ vs statistical‐based approaches to define tempo depends on the research question at hand, the study setting and the logistical advantages/challenges each method pose . Direct, duration‐based definitions of tempo are attractive because these translate easily to the clinical environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The tempo of puberty and its relationship to adolescent health and well‐being: A systematic review

et al. 2019

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Puberty is a major developmental period characterised by the height growth spurt, appearance of secondary sex characteristics, body composition alterations and increasing circulating hormone levels. 1,2 Variability exists in how early (timing of onset) and rapidly (tempo of puberty) individuals commence and progress through these changes.Such variability is known to have immediate and lifelong impacts on health and well-being which, in turn, has clear implications to practice in terms of identifying and delivering timely supportive therapies to those exhibiting "at risk" developmental trajectories.The clinical and hormonal markers of pubertal onset, together with the age range at which onset occurs, are well recognised. The first signs of puberty are measured by the attainment of Tanner stage (TS) 2 for breast (B2) or genital (G2) development, or a rise in gonadal hormones above the childhood range. 3 The typical age of onset ranges from 8 to Cheng and Harris contributed equally to this work.Abbreviations: ATO, age at height take-off; APHV, age at peak height velocity; B2/5, Tanner breast development stage 2/5; BMI, body mass index; G2/5, Tanner genital development stage 2/5; TS Tanner stage; zBMI, age-and sex-adjusted body mass index z-score Abstract Aim: Emerging evidence suggests that pubertal tempo, that is rate of passage through puberty, has relevance to adolescent mood and behaviour. However, its wider health and developmental significance remain unclear. This systematic review sought to clarify the relationship of pubertal tempo to indicators of health and development, and to document tempo definitions and pubertal durations reported in the literature. Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched from earliest record to July 2018. Study eligibility: healthy participants; age 8-21 years; ≥2 longitudinal measures of puberty; analysis of tempo against a health or developmental indicator. Results: Thirty-eight studies met eligibility, and these reported on diverse tempo definitions and seven health-and development-related domains. Data sets with varying tempo definitions converged on an association of rapid pubertal progression to: (a) higher adiposity during childhood and adolescence in both sexes; and (b) lower psychosocial well-being in adolescent males. Later thelarche unanimously predicted faster progression to menarche in females, but this compensation was largely undetected when alternate definitions of pubertal timing and/or tempo were used. Duration of puberty ranged from 2.5-4.1 years. Conclusion: Pubertal tempo may be clinically relevant when considering trajectories of adiposity and psychosocial well-being among adolescents, especially males. Consensus on the definition of tempo would facilitate between-study comparisons. K E Y W O R D S adiposity, adolescence, behaviour problems, depression, pubertal pattern | 901 CHENG Et al. S U PP O RTI N G I N FO R M ATI O N Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section. How to cite this article: Cheng HL, Ha...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The tempo of puberty and its relationship to adolescent health and well‐being: A systematic review

et al. 2019

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“…Generally, two physiological processes, adrenarche and gonadarche, interact to regulate the onset of puberty . During adrenarche, the adrenal cortex secretes steroid hormones (including androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione, and cortisol), insulin‐like growth factor, and growth hormone, which contribute to the pubertal growth spurt, body odor, skin oiliness, and skeletal maturation . Both adrenarche and gonadarche are involved in the development of pubic hair .…”

Section: Physiological Processes In the Initiation Of Pubertymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lastly, adipokines interfere in processes regulating timing and duration of puberty, for instance in the HPA and HPG axes which are both key players during adrenarche and gonadarche. Involvement of adipokines in the onset of puberty and specifically in individuals with obesity will be further reviewed in the next sections …”

Section: Physiological Processes In the Initiation Of Pubertymentioning

confidence: 99%

Adipokines: A gear shift in puberty

et al. 2020

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In this review, we discuss the role of adipokines in the onset of puberty in children with obesity during adrenarche and gonadarche and provide a clear and detailed overview of the biological processes of two major players, leptin and adiponectin. Adipokines, especially leptin and adiponectin, seem to induce an early onset of puberty in girls and boys with obesity by affecting the hypothalamic-pituitarygonadal (HPG) axis. Moreover, adipokines and their receptors are expressed in the gonads, suggesting a role in sexual maturation and reproduction. All in all, adipokines may be a clue in understanding mechanisms underlying the onset of puberty in childhood obesity and puberty onset variability. K E Y W O R D S adipokines, obesity, puberty

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“…Reliable and valid measurement of puberty is central for any investigation. Mendle, Beltz, Carter, and Dorn (2019) update some of the work on measuring puberty and provide a thorough, basic primer to assist researchers in relevant issues and methods necessary to study puberty or to critically read the literature that measures puberty. As a novel addition to the literature, they also highlight specific topics of interest focusing on puberty for a new generation of researchers to expand our knowledge of the contributions of puberty to developmental science.…”

Section: Understanding Puberty and Its Measurement: Ideas For Researcmentioning

confidence: 99%

The New Biobehavioral Developmental Science of Puberty

Dorn

Susman

2019

J of Research on Adolesc

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This special section is the product of a small-group meeting of those who study puberty and its relevance. Our aim was to gather information and write manuscripts to inform scientists of advances and continuing obstacles, as well as to stimulate interdisciplinary research on puberty relevant across the lifespan. The themes of the nine position or review papers (and commentary), range from cell to society. We hope this introduction will entice you to read all the papers and consider how they apply or expand your next steps in research or help you synthesize the literature on puberty. We anticipate the papers can embellish your adolescent courses, and, for junior scientists, we hope the many intriguing possibilities for future research on puberty will be apparent.

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Understanding Puberty and Its Measurement: Ideas for Research in a New Generation

Cited by 138 publications

References 94 publications

The tempo of puberty and its relationship to adolescent health and well‐being: A systematic review

The tempo of puberty and its relationship to adolescent health and well‐being: A systematic review

Adipokines: A gear shift in puberty

The New Biobehavioral Developmental Science of Puberty

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