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.
Puberty Study Follow-Up
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we completed a follow-up research study with participants who were a part of the Puberty Study. The purpose of the follow-up were to examine how children's biological stress responses during puberty (measured in the previous study) are associated with later behavioral and mental health during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak. The follow-up included online parent-child questionnaires and sending a hair sample.
April 2025 Update: We would like to follow-up with additional questions about how the newly responsive stress system handles the stressors that young adults face, and how that relates to symptoms of mental health. We hope to contact you and your family in the future. If you participated in the Puberty Study, we'd like to keep you informed of future research opportunities. Please updated your contact information below.