The Impact of Puberty on Aggression/Delinquency: Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Puberty is a potentially sensitive period during which the adolescent demonstrates rapid changes in aggressive/delinquent behaviour. Early onset of puberty has been implicated, not only in the earlier occurrence of aggressive/delinquent behaviour, but potentially a continuing higher level of aggression/delinquency. This article examines immediate and longer term gender specific changes in aggressive/delinquent behaviour as these are independently associated with the age of onset of puberty and pubertal stage adjusted for age. Data is derived from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, a prospective prebirth cohort that involves 2,784 respondents who provided information about current pubertal stage (Tanner Score) and the age of onset of puberty, as well as the Achenbach's Youth Self-Report (14-year YSR) and Young Adult Self-Report (21-year YASR). Both males and females had similar increased levels of aggression/delinquency with more advanced pubertal stage at the 14-year follow-up. For females (but not males) early age of onset of puberty was additionally associated with more symptoms of aggression/delinquency at the 14-year follow-up. For males, by the 21-year follow-up those who had experienced early age of onset of puberty no longer had higher YASR levels of aggression/delinquency. For females, only early and late age of occurrence of puberty were associated with longer term evidence of aggressive/delinquent behaviour. Progression through puberty is associated with increased levels of aggressive/delinquent behaviour for both males and females, and of about a similar magnitude. Female rates of aggressive/delinquent behaviour may have increased over time to match those observed in young males. For females only, there is evidence of a long-term sustained effect of early and late puberty on increased levels of aggressive/delinquent behaviour.