Biologically Universal yet Ethnically Diverse: Puberty and Its Psychological Effect on Adolescent Girls' Mental Health

From a biological perspective, puberty is a universal phenomenon; the bodies of healthy adolescents experience pubertal changes regardless of their sociodemographic backgrounds. However, the psychological effect of puberty appears to vary by contextual variables. The study published within the issue by Deardorff et al. offers a critical insight into the heterogeneity of the psychological effect of puberty, qualified by race-ethnicity in adolescent girls in the US. Findings from the study by Deardorff et al set up the stage for emerging critical questions that urgently need answers. First, the moderator, race-ethnicity, is a highly "packaged" and "intersecting" construct. Racial-ethnic group membership is correlated with culture, history, skin color, economic status, stress exposure, and even healthcare access, which are all correlated with both puberty and mental health.