Puberty Study Follow-Up
We are hoping to update our contact info! We are not asking you to participate in any study now.
You/your family participated in “The Puberty Study.” Many of you came in three times to give a speech/do math, measure body composition, and provide saliva samples in the lab and at home. Many of you participated a fourth time by completing online questionnaires and sending a sample of hair, around 2020 and the pandemic.
You helped us learn so much! Kids who experience early adversity often have down-regulated stress response systems (so they don’t overload during the time of adversity). We learned that puberty opens a natural window for the stress system to recalibrate, or “wake up.” Amazing! We also learned that people are experiencing lots of anxiety these days. We would like to learn how the newly responsive stress system handles the stressors that young adults face, and how that relates to symptoms of mental health. Our hope is to secure funding to follow up on those questions. If we are able, we plan to contact you and your family in the future. For now, we would greatly appreciate an updated point of contact. That would allow us to report that we can still invite families in the future.
As always, we treat your private information with care and do not share it. We remain grateful to you for your vital help. If you are willing, please click the link below.
If your child is now over 18 years old, please forward this information to them.
Puberty Study
The Puberty Study completed recruitment with 320 participants in September 2018.
This study was conducted by Dr. Megan Gunnar and her team at the Institute of Child Development, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. The goal of the study was to examine changes in the body reflecting puberty and the body's stress response systems. We were especially interested in how adversity early in life and typical development might shape the body's stress response systems. Puberty is a time of great change and we believe that it may be an opportunity to re-shape or "recalibrate" the body's stress response systems. In this study, we examined how variations in early adversity (such as adoption from an institution) work with current life stress and puberty to shape cognitive and behavioral functioning. There were 3 time points over 2 full years with two visits at each point. Participants gave a speech and did arithmetic aloud, completed a life stress interview, had their body composition assessment, and provided saliva samples.