New York, Nov 20 (IANS): Entering puberty ahead of their peers increases depression risk over time in both sexes - not just in girls as commonly thought, new research shows.

The researchers, however, noted that the disorder develops differently in girls than in boys.

“It is often believed that going through puberty earlier than peers only contributes to depression in girls,” said study author Karen Rudolph from University of Illinois.

“We found that early maturation can also be a risk for boys as they progress through adolescence, but the timing is different than in girls,” Rudolph added.

Youth who entered puberty ahead of their peers were vulnerable to a number of risks that were associated with depression.

They had poorer self-images; greater anxiety; social problems, including conflict with family members and peers; and tended to befriend peers who were prone to getting into trouble, the researchers found.

For the study, the researchers measured pubertal timing and tracked levels of depression among more than 160 youth over a four-year period.

Levels of depression among early-maturing girls were elevated at the beginning of the study and remained stable over the next three years.

“While early maturation seemed to protect boys from the challenges of puberty initially, boys experienced an emerging cascade of personal and contextual risks - negative self-image, anxiety, social problems and interpersonal stress - that eventuated in depression as they moved through adolescence,” Rudolph stressed.

The study appeared in the journal Development and Psychopathology.