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Examining Pubertal and Cognitive Differences in Adolescent Depressive Symptoms Using Drift Diffusion Modeling

Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology·August 14Open Access
Psychology, ClinicalLimited evidenceAdolescent DepressionCross-Sectional StudyComputational Cognitive ModelingAdolescent

Summary

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What was studied

This cross-sectional study examined whether drift diffusion modeling (DDM) parameters—drift rate, boundary separation, and non-decision time—derived from Stroop and Emotional Stroop tasks interacted with pubertal timing to predict depressive symptoms in 103 racially/ethnically diverse adolescents (mean age 12.58 years, 48.5% female).

Key findings

Earlier pubertal timing robustly predicted more depressive symptoms across all models. Boundary separation—but not drift rate or non-decision time—significantly interacted with pubertal timing in both tasks (Stroop: B=0.26, corrected p=.01; Emotional Stroop: B=0.23, corrected p=.003): earlier-maturing youth with *higher* boundary separation (more cautious decision-making) showed the greatest depressive symptoms. Shorter non-decision time was also linked to more depressive symptoms on the Emotional Stroop (B=−0.67, corrected p=.001), but no interaction effects were significant for drift rate or non-decision time.

Study limitations

- Cross-sectional design prevents causal or directional conclusions. - Small sample (n=103) limits power for higher-order (3-way) interactions and subgroup analyses by sex or race/ethnicity. - Puberty assessed by self-report only; no hormonal or Tanner staging data collected.

Clinical implications

Early-maturing adolescents who also show overly cautious or deliberate decision-making styles may represent a high-risk subgroup for depressive symptoms worth screening. Interventions targeting both the social demands of early puberty and over-controlled cognitive-affective patterns (e.g., rumination, indecision) could be especially warranted for this group.

Related Questions

Explore related topics

How does pubertal timing interact with cognitive vulnerabilities to increase depression risk in adolescents?What does drift diffusion modeling reveal about decision-making differences in youth with depressive symptoms?Which early adolescents are at highest risk for depression when puberty starts early?

Publication Details

Year
2026
Journal
Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
Sample Size
n=103
Source
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