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Polygenic Influences on Pubertal Timing and Tempo and Depressive Symptoms in Boys and Girls
Author(s) -
Horvath Gregor,
Knopik Valerie S.,
Marceau Kristine
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/jora.12502
Subject(s) - psychology , depressive symptoms , developmental psychology , polygenic risk score , clinical psychology , psychiatry , anxiety , genotype , single nucleotide polymorphism , gene , biochemistry , chemistry
This study used polygenic scoring ( PGS ) to test whether puberty‐related genes were correlated with depressive symptoms, and whether there were indirect effects through pubertal maturation. The sample included 8,795 adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (measures of puberty drawn ages 8–17 years; of depressive symptoms at age 16.5 years). The PGS (derived from a genome‐wide meta‐analysis of later age at menarche) predicted boys’ and girls’ later pubertal timing, boys’ slower gonadal development, and girls’ faster breast development. Earlier perceived breast development timing predicted more depressive symptoms in girls. Findings support shared genetic underpinnings for boys’ and girls' puberty, contributing to multiple pubertal phenotypes with differences in how these genetic variants affect boys' and girls' development.