Original article
Adrenarche and the Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Late Childhood

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.09.001Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

Mental and behavioral disorders increase in prevalence with the passage through puberty. Yet the first symptoms for many children emerge between seven and 11 years, before the pubertal rise in gonadal hormones. A possibility that symptom onset may be linked to the adrenarchal rise in androgens has been little explored.

Methods

The Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study recruited a stratified random sample of 1,239 eight–nine year olds from primary schools in Melbourne, Australia. Saliva samples were assayed for dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHEA-S), and testosterone. Emotional and behavioral problems were assessed through parental report on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire.

Results

In males, high levels of all androgens were associated with greater total difficulties and peer problems. Higher dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone were associated with emotional symptoms and DHEA-S with conduct problems. In females, DHEA-S was associated with peer problems.

Conclusions

In late childhood, androgens are associated with emotional and behavioral problems in males, raising a possibility that the adrenarchal transition plays a contributing role. If so, the late primary school years may prove to be an important phase for preventing the onset of mental health and behavioral problems in boys.

Section snippets

Study design and participants

Data for this study are based on the first wave of the Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study, whose design is described in detail elsewhere [14]. Briefly, children were sampled from a stratified random sample of 43 primary schools (government, catholic, independent strata) in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. School principals provided consent for their school's participation. If a school did not provide consent to take part then a replacement school from the same stratum was randomly

Results

In total, 1,239 (54%) participants were recruited through the provision of active, informed parent consent (see Figure 1). Of the recruited sample, the mean age was 108 months (SD 5 months, range 94–128 months). Of the children recruited, 1,194 (96%) children and 1,222 (99%) of their parents took part in wave one. The recruited sample contained a slightly smaller proportion of males (46%) compared with census data for eight- to nine-year-old children enrolled in grade three across the state of

Discussion

This is the first large population-based study to show that DHEA(S) and testosterone are associated with emotional and behavioral problems in males in late childhood. For males, all androgens tended to be associated with greater total difficulties and peer relationship problems. Higher DHEA and testosterone were associated with emotional symptoms and DHEA-S with conduct problems. In contrast, for females, little evidence was found of relationships between androgens with emotional and behavioral

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the families and schools who have participated in this study. The authors would like to thank all staff and volunteers involved in data collection and processing at MCRI. Contributors: G.P., N.A., R.V., J.B. led the overall conception and design of the study. L.M., G.P., and N.A. contributed to study implementation and coordination. L.M. contributed to acquisition of the data. H.R., L.C., S.H., J.C., and G.P. were involved in analysis. All authors were

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    Conflicts of Interest: The authors report no financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

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