A Researcher's Guide to the Measurement and Modeling of Puberty in the ABCD Study® at Baseline.

Theresa W Cheng,Sarah L Whittle,Cecile D Ladouceur,Kristina A Uban,Lucía Magis-Weinberg,Elizabeth A Shirtcliff,Michelle L Byrne,Megan M Herting,Victoria Guazzelli Williamson,Jennifer H Pfeifer,Marjolein E A Barendse

doi:10.3389/fendo.2021.608575

Abstract

The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development℠ (ABCD) Study is an ongoing, diverse, longitudinal, and multi-site study of 11,880 adolescents in the United States. The ABCD Study provides open access to data about pubertal development at a large scale, and this article is a researcher’s guide that both describes its pubertal variables and outlines recommendations for use. These considerations are contextualized with reference to cross-sectional empirical analyses of pubertal measures within the baseline ABCD dataset by Herting, Uban, and colleagues (2021). We discuss strategies to capitalize on strengths, mitigate weaknesses, and appropriately interpret study limitations for researchers using pubertal variables within the ABCD dataset, with the aim of building toward a robust science of adolescent development.

Highlights

Pubertal measures provide critical information about maturation beyond chronological age, and there is substantial variation in the timing of pubertal milestones [1, 2]
Conclusions drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study will undoubtedly carry impact
The lack of prepubertal female participants is more pronounced in groups found to start puberty earlier [5]

Summary

Introduction

Pubertal measures provide critical information about maturation beyond chronological age, and there is substantial variation in the timing of pubertal milestones [1, 2]. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study measures puberty across adolescence in a large and diverse sample (baseline ages = 9–10 years; annual sampling of pubertal measures for 10 years (ongoing); 21 research sites across the United States; N = 11,880; 48% female at baseline [3]; see [4] for recruitment details). This represents an unprecedented opportunity to better understand relationships between puberty, Puberty in the ABCD Study sociodemographic variables, neurodevelopment, and health. We further explore practical considerations for planning investigations with these data, including a brief discussion of longitudinal analyses

Objectives

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion