Explaining the pathway from pubertal timing to psychopathology: The role of exposure to peer stressors and social goals

Ye, Zihua

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130158 Copy

Description

Title

Explaining the pathway from pubertal timing to psychopathology: The role of exposure to peer stressors and social goals

Author(s)

Ye, Zihua

Issue Date

2025-07-15

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Rudolph, Karen D.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Rudolph, Karen D.

Committee Member(s)

• Pomerantz, Eva M.
• Tu, Kelly M.
• Joseph, Cohen R.
• Xia, Yan

Department of Study

Psychology

Discipline

Psychology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• puberty
• depression
• externalizing behavior
• peer stress
• social goals

Abstract

Puberty is a key developmental transition associated with increased risk for depression and externalizing behavior. This dissertation examined how actual and perceived pubertal timing predict psychological adjustment in early adolescence, with attention to exposure to peer stressors as a mediating mechanism and youth social motivational goals as moderators. Study 1 used a three-wave longitudinal sample of 167 youth (Mage = 12.41, SD = 1.19; range = 9.6–14.8) to test whether exposure to peer stressors mediated associations between pubertal timing and depressive or externalizing symptoms over time. Earlier actual timing predicted higher depression, but exposure to peer stressors did not mediate this effect. Perceived timing was not significantly associated to either exposure to peer stressors or psychopathology. Study 2 followed 636 youth (Mage in 5th grade = 10.94, SD = 0.36) from 5th to 7th grade, examining overt and relational victimization as mediators and social goals as moderators of the link between pubertal timing and psychological adjustment. Earlier actual timing predicted higher levels of both depression and externalizing behavior. Among girls, overt victimization mediated both outcomes. Moderated mediation models revealed a significant interaction between overt victimization and performance-approach goals in predicting externalizing behavior. Simple slopes and conditional indirect effects were significant only for girls with higher levels of performance-approach goals. Perceived timing showed no significant effects. These findings suggest that actual, but not perceived, pubertal timing confers risk for psychological difficulties in early adolescence, particularly among girls, through heightened exposure to overt victimization and in interaction with status-relevant social motivations.

Graduation Semester

2025-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130158

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Zihua Ye

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