Assessing Pubertal Timing and Dynamics in a Large Longitudinal Sample of Adolescent Males

Pubertal timing and dynamics play an important role in physical and psychological development. This thesis describes three height-based indices that can be used to assess pubertal timing, and a measure of average exposure to testosterone derived from testosterone trajectories to assess pubertal dynamics. These parameters are derived in a sample of 500 male adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The indices of pubertal timing are shown to correlate with one another in ALSPAC. In a separate cross-sectional study, we show the association between one index and both testosterone levels and self-reported pubertal stage. The measure of average exposure to testosterone characterizes the timing and the magnitude of the rise in participants’ testosterone levels during adolescence. Future investigations may employ the methods outlined to account for timing and dynamics of puberty in relation to adolescent development.MAS