To extend research linking pubertal timing and adolescent health outcomes, this study examines boys’ pubertal timing and subsequent interpersonal success and health behaviors in mid adulthood. Past research has shown that boys’ pubertal timing is associated with both positive and negative developmental outcomes in the short term, and so it is unclear how pubertal timing is consequential for adjustment across the long term. Data from 460 boys from the Terman Life-Cycle Study were examined over a 39-year period to relate age of pubertal onset to later marital success, career success, and adult health behaviors. Boys who reached puberty earlier than their peers achieved greater success in their careers and experienced more satisfaction in their marriages. Early-developing boys were not found to be more likely than their peers to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol as adults. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of pubertal timing for life-span development.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project was funded by a grant from NIH-NIA (#AG08825, H. Friedman, PI). This paper is part of our larger multiyear, interdisciplinary project. The authors would like to thank Dr. Jessica Dennis, Peggy Kern, Dr. Patrick Markey, and Dr. Barbara Tinsley for the helpful comments made during the preparation of this manuscript. Thanks are also due to Dr. Al Hastorf and Mrs. Eleanor Walker of the Terman project; the current investigators bear full responsibility for all analyses and interpretations presented here.
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Keiko Taga is a doctoral student at the Department of Psychology at University of California, Riverside. Her major research interests are social and psychological predictors of health and longevity
Charlotte Markey is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Riverside in 2002. Her research focuses on social and personality influences on health
Howard S. Friedman is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside, where he directs a large project on health and longevity across the life-span. He has authored or edited ten books, with a focus on health psychology, personality, and nonverbal charisma
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Taga, K.A., Markey, C.N. & Friedman, H.S. A Longitudinal Investigation of Associations Between Boys’ Pubertal Timing and Adult Behavioral Health and Well-Being. J Youth Adolescence 35, 380–390 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9039-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9039-4
