FRIDAY, July 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Researchers have long focused on estrogen as the hormone driving emotional and mental distress during female puberty, but new research points to a different culprit: testosterone.
Researchers found that girls whose testosterone rose early during puberty had increased mental health symptoms, such as depression and anxiety.
The findings were published recently in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.
Testosterone changes — even in girls as young as 10 years old — were found to be the most significant predictor of increased mental health symptoms.
The testosterone levels predicted mental distress more than the typical physical signs of puberty or rises in estradiol (estrogen).
Estrogen has long been thought to be associated with mental health changes during female puberty.
Testosterone and its precursor, DHEA, tend to rise earlier than estrogen during puberty, usually around ages 9 to 10. Estrogen rises later, usually around ages 11 to 13, researchers said.
Estrogen peaks coincided with more of the physical changes that happen during puberty, such as breast changes and body hair, but were not as closely correlated with depression or anxiety, the study showed.
The early testosterone spikes, however, were highly correlated with mental health.
“Puberty is not just a physical maturation. It’s also a major biological transition in the brain. A girl may not look dramatically different yet, but their endocrine system may already be changing in ways that affect stress sensitivity, emotional reactivity and mood," co-author Assaf Oshri said in a news release. He is a professor at the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences and director of the Center for Developmental Science.
Oshri added that testosterone makes the brain especially susceptible to social feedback, which may explain the increased and lingering mental health risks of girls who display higher levels of the hormone.
Researchers note that the early puberty window, ages 10 to 12, may be a important time to support emotional well-being.
"Puberty is not a problem," study co-author Avary Evans, a graduate assistant at the university, said in a news release. "Puberty just creates a window of increased sensitivity, and we need to be aware of it."
More information
To find out more information about puberty and mental health, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
SOURCE: University of Georgia, news release, July 13, 2026
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