ABSTRACT
An empirically documented relation between individual variations in pubertal maturation and individual differences in social and emotional adjustment in adolescence raises questions as to the nature of the factors that contribute to this relationship. This chapter discusses the mediating factors for the impact of pubertal timing on psychosocial functioning in mid-adolescence. Perhaps the most conspicuous result in the examination of the mediating factors for pubertal timing is the role that girls' relations to the opposite sex plays for their social adjustment. Across the areas investigated—interpersonal relations, social adjustment, and also school adjustment—opposite-sex relations were consistently related to the dependent variables. For all except one of the norm-breaking behaviors, heterosexual relations appeared as the primary mediating factor. Another area in which heterosexual relations played an important role as mediator concerned interpersonal relations, particularly with respect to the girls' relations to adults.
