ERIC Number: EJ684697
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Nov
Pages: 10
Abstractor: Author
Reference Count: 0
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Pubertal Development: Longitudinal Data from Finnish Twins at Ages 11 and 14
Mustanski, Brian S.; Viken, Richard J.; Kaprio, Jaakko; Pulkkinen, Lea; Rose, Richard J.
Developmental Psychology, v40 n6 p1188-1198 Nov 2004
To study sources of individual differences in pubertal development, the authors fit a sex-limitation common factor model to data reported, at ages 11 and 14 years, by 1,891 twin pairs on items that comprise the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS; A. C. Petersen, L. Crockett, M. Richards, & A. Boxer, 1988). The model divides variation into a general pubertal factor and item-specific variation and, in addition, decomposes it into constituent sources. In both boys and girls, genetic influences made the largest contribution to variance common to PDS items. Genetic and nonshared environmental factors accounted for variation specific to PDS items in boys, whereas for girls, common environmental influences were added for growth spurt and menarcheal status. For both common and item-specific variation, genetic effects were partially sex specific. Subsidiary analyses found accelerated maturation in both boys and girls who at age 14 were reared in father-absent homes.
Descriptors: Environmental Influences, Females, Puberty, Males, Gender Differences, Genetics, Twins, Foreign Countries, Longitudinal Studies, Measures (Individuals)
American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721 (Toll Free); Tel: 202-336-5510; TDD/TTY: 202-336-6123; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: journals@apa.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A

Peer reviewed
Direct link
