Department Events

Abstract: Beginningat puberty, prevalence of psychopathology in females changes as theirreproductive lives change. Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies show steepspikes in psychological problems when girls reach puberty, includingdepression, anxiety, delinquency, disordered eating, school failure anddrop-out. These patterns are clearly evident cross-culturally, documented onall inhabited continents, and poorly understood by reproductive health expertsand psychologists alike.  This colloquiumwill explore why puberty can be psychologically difficult for some youth,blending traditional survey research with computational text analysis of girls’own words about maturation and an initial investigation of endocrine changeacross early menstrual cycles.