Objective: To examine the prospective association of pubertal timing and tempo with depressive symptoms in adolescents. Methods: Since 2013, 2 084 students in grade 1-3 were selected from two primary schools in Bengbu, Anhui Province were selected by using convenience sampling method to establish the adolescence pubertal development cohort. Followed up for 6 years, physical examination, secondary sexual development evaluation (testicular volume for boys and breast development for girls) and depressive symptoms were evaluated biennially. Non-linear growth model was used to estimate pubertal timing and tempo for boys and girls respectively. Depressive symptoms were interviewed by using the Short Mood & Feeling Questionnaire (SMFQ) at baseline and Mood & Feeling Questionnaire (MFQ) during follow-up for students in grade 1-2. Children Depression Inventory (CDI) was used for students in grade 3 at baseline and during follow-up. Depressive symptom scores were standardized by using the Z-score method. Multivariate linear regression model was used to analyze the predictive effects of modeling pubertal timing and tempo on depressive symptoms of adolescence boys and girls. Results: There were 1 909 students with complete questionnaire and puberty development information, including 1 052 boys (59.19%) and 857 girls (43.81%), with average age about (13.94±0.87) years and 91.60 percent follow-up rate. The average modeling pubertal timing of girls (11.25 years) was earlier than that of boys (12.70 years), and the average pubertal tempo of girls about 1.47 Tanner stage/year was faster than that of boys about 1.28 Tanner stage/year. After controlling for depressive symptoms, maternal education and adverse childhood experiences at baseline and age, body mass index (BMI) classification and sleep time during follow-up, this predictive effect of pubertal timing and tempo on depressive symptoms was only significant among girls. Compared with girls with on time pubertal timing, girls in the delay timing group had a lower level of depressive symptoms (β=-0.19, 95% CI:-0.34,-0.01). Compared with girls in average pubertal tempo group, the fast tempo group associated with an increasing risk of depressive symptoms (β=0.23, 95%CI: 0.05, 0.40), while the slow tempo group associated with an decreasing risk of depressive symptoms (β=-0.21, 95％CI:-0.39,-0.03). Insignificant effects were found in puberty timing and tempo on depressive symptoms of boys (P>0.05). Conclusion: Fast pubertal tempo increases the risk of development of depressive symptoms of adolescent girls. There is no predictive effect of pubertal timing and tempo on depression symptoms of adolescent boys.
目的： 探讨青春期发育时相与发育速度对青少年抑郁症状的前瞻性预测效应。 方法： 采用方便抽样，于2013年招募了2 084名安徽省蚌埠市2所小学1~3年级学生，建立儿童青春期发育队列。随访6年，每2年开展体格、第二性征发育评价（男生睾丸容积和女生乳房发育）和抑郁症状评估。使用非线性生长模型分别拟合男女生青春期发育时相与发育速度。1~2年级学生基线时与随访时分别采用《简明心境与情绪问卷》（SMFQ）与《心境与情绪问卷》（MFQ）评价抑郁症状；3年级学生基线时和随访时采用《儿童抑郁量表》（CDI）评价抑郁症状。使用Z分法将抑郁症状得分进行标准化。多元线性回归模型评价男女生青春期发育时相与发育速度对抑郁症状发生的预测效应。 结果： 随访6年后收集完整问卷及体格信息1 909名，年龄为（13.94±0.87）岁，其中男生1 052名（59.19%），女生857名（43.81%），随访率为91.60%。女生平均青春期发育时相（11.25岁）早于男生（12.70岁），且女生平均发育速度1.47（Tanner阶段／年）比男生更快1.28（Tanner阶段／年）。女生青春期发育时相与发育速度对抑郁症状的预测效应有统计学意义，与发育适时组女生相比，发育时相延迟的女生抑郁症状水平更低（β=-0.19，95％CI：-0.34，-0.01）；与发育速度正常组女生相比，发育快速组女生抑郁症状风险增加（β=0.23，95％CI：0.05，0.40），而发育缓慢组女生抑郁症状风险降低（β=-0.21，95％CI：-0.39，-0.03）。青春期发育时相与发育速度对男生抑郁症状影响均无统计学意义（P>0.05）。 结论： 女生青春期发育速度过快可能是抑郁症状发生发展的危险因素，而青春期发育时相与速度对男生青春期抑郁症状均无预测效应。.
Keywords: Depression; Pubertal tempo; Pubertal timing; Puberty.