An association of early puberty with disordered eating and anxiety in a population of undergraduate women and men

• Published in: Hormones and behavior 2007-11, Vol.52 (4), p.427-435
• Main Authors: Zehr, Julia L., Culbert, Kristen M., Sisk, Cheryl L., Klump, Kelly L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Development - physiology; Adult; Age Factors; Analysis of Variance; Anxiety; Anxiety - psychology; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Body Image; Body Mass Index; Brain - growth & development; Brain - physiology; Brain - physiopathology; Case-Control Studies; Correlation analysis; Disordered eating; Eating disorders; Feeding and Eating Disorders - psychology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gonadal Steroid Hormones - physiology; Hormones; Hormones and behavior; Humans; Male; Organizational effects; Personality Tests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Puberty; Puberty - physiology; Puberty - psychology; Puberty timing; Reference Values; Sex differences; Sex Factors; Sexual development
• ISSN: 0018-506X; 1095-6867
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.06.005

Eating and anxiety disorders are more prevalent in females, increase during adolescence, and are associated with early pubertal development. This study examined whether timing of puberty onset is associated with disordered eating and anxiety in a large sample of postpubertal male and female undergraduate students. Self-report questionnaires assessed timing of puberty, disordered eating, anxiety, alcohol use, personality, and sensation seeking. Females scored significantly higher on measures of disordered eating (binge eating, dietary restraint, eating concerns, and weight and shape concerns) and anxiety (state and trait anxiety) than did males. In addition, early maturing women and men scored significantly higher on measures of disordered eating and anxiety than on time or late maturing women and men. Measures of alcohol use, sensation seeking, and personality characteristics differed in males and females but did not vary with pubertal timing. Findings suggest that early puberty is associated with disordered eating and anxiety, and this association may be due to an organizational effect of pubertal hormones. Despite important differences in body fat composition, both males and females experiencing early puberty had an increased incidence of disordered eating. The fact that early puberty was associated with increased eating and anxiety symptoms in both sexes suggests that puberty may influence these symptoms through both biological and psychosocial mechanisms.