PUBERTAL CHANGES AND PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN ADOLESCENTS - AN OVERVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH

For decades, the interplay between pubertal changes and psychosocial development was rarely a focus of research in German speaking countries. By contrast, in North America and Scandinavia, a large body of research evolved, especially addressing the role of biological processes in adolescents' development. Aspects of particular interest were individual differences in the timing and pace of pubertal changes. Recently, a shift in emphasis has taken place, focusing no longer on pubertal timing as an antecedent of changes in adolescents' behavior, but rather on the precursors of differences in pubertal timing itself. The latter are seen in stressful interactions between parents and offspring emerging over considerable periods of time during childhood. This review begins with a discussion of the methods used in the assessment of pubertal processes. We then present major conceptual issues and results of empirical investigations concerning the consequences of individual differences in pubertal timing on various aspects of the self-concept, on social relationships, and on internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. Finally, results are discussed on the role of family strains and other risk factors in early maturation. In addition to a large number of studies from the international arena, some recent German investigations are highlighted.