Summary: Researchers analyzed longitudinal data from thousands of preteen girls and found that testosterone—often viewed as primarily a male hormone—plays a prominent and previously underappreciated role in early emotional vulnerability among girls aged 10 to 12. The study shows that internal neurochemical fluctuations are stronger predictors of anxiety and depression than visible physical changes, highlighting a crucial early window for mental health support.
Key Facts
- Testosterone vulnerability window: Between ages 10 and 12, testosterone rises gradually. Girls who experienced the steepest increases reported higher emotional distress, including persistent worry about peer judgment, loneliness, and heightened anxiety.
- Hormones matter more than outward appearance: Internal endocrine shifts were far more predictive of early emotional difficulties than visible physical maturation. In some cases, girls who exhibited earlier physical signs of puberty reported fewer anxiety and depression symptoms.
- Estrogen may offer later protection: Increased estrogen during later pubertal stages (roughly ages 11 to 13) may help stabilize mood and buffer against the distress linked to the earlier testosterone increase.
- DHEA as an early trigger: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a metabolic precursor to testosterone, rose in some girls as early as age 9, accelerating pubertal biology and contributing to emotional reactivity that can appear before other signs of puberty.
- Social sensitivity, not direct causation: Testosterone does not directly cause clinical depression. Instead, it appears to increase neural sensitivity to social feedback; negative or stressful social environments during this sensitive window can quickly produce anxiety and depressive symptoms.
- Shift intervention earlier: Mental health supports generally arrive in mid-to-late adolescence. This research identifies ages 10–12 as a critical proactive window for emotional support to prevent escalation into clinical disorders.
Source: University of Georgia
New research from the University of Georgia suggests testosterone plays a larger role in early pubertal emotional development for girls than previously recognized.
The study found that greater changes in testosterone levels were associated with more emotional difficulties in girls aged 10 to 12, even after accounting for other hormones. Physical development during early puberty was less predictive of anxiety and depression than hormone fluctuations.
“Some girls may become more emotionally vulnerable during early puberty, and that’s important because it can happen before parents notice outward signs of distress,” said Assaf Oshri, co-author and professor in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences and director of the Georgia Center for Developmental Science. “We’re identifying a risk mechanism that gives us a better window of opportunity to prevent mental health problems from escalating.”
Recognizing the biological and emotional changes that occur in preteens may help caregivers and professionals reduce or prevent additional mental health struggles during this critical developmental period.
Different hormones influence girls at different ages
The researchers examined data from more than 5,400 girls participating in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, the largest long-term U.S. study of brain development and child health. Earlier work emphasized estradiol (an estrogen derivative) in pubertal mental and physical change, but this analysis highlights distinct roles for androgens as well.
Between ages 10 and 12, testosterone levels rose gradually. Girls with greater increases in testosterone in that period were more likely to report symptoms of depression and anxiety, including feelings of loneliness and heightened concern about peer evaluations.
“It’s not that having more testosterone automatically causes depression or anxiety,” said Avary Evans, corresponding author and graduate assistant in UGA’s department of human development and family science. “Rather, this is a vulnerable period when the brain becomes especially sensitive to social feedback. If a child’s environment delivers negative or stressful social signals during that window, emotional distress can follow quickly.”
“Puberty is not a problem … Puberty just creates a window of increased sensitivity, and we need to be aware of it.” — Avary Evans, College of Family & Consumer Sciences
The authors also observed that DHEA levels rose in some girls by age 9, potentially accelerating early pubertal processes and related emotional challenges. Estradiol tended to increase later, between roughly ages 11 and 13, which may explain why different hormones exert influence at different stages of early adolescence.
Even when accounting for DHEA and estradiol, testosterone remained the strongest predictor of depression- and anxiety-related symptoms during the 10–12 age window.
“These findings represent emotional distress rather than clinical disorders,” Oshri said. “Testosterone may mark a period when the brain grows more sensitive to social signals. When social feedback feels highly meaningful, it can be processed in ways that negatively affect mood.”
Physical maturation less indicative of mental health than hormones
Visible physical development did not have the same relationship with emotional distress. Girls who showed secondary sex characteristics earlier sometimes reported fewer depression and anxiety symptoms. The timing of estrogen increases alongside physical changes may act as a protective biological influence during later stages of puberty.
“Puberty is more than physical maturation; it’s a major biological transition within the brain,” Oshri said. “A girl may not look different externally, but her endocrine system can be changing in ways that affect stress sensitivity, emotional reactivity, and mood. There’s a lot happening under the surface.”
Earlier support systems could help
Mental health interventions for youth often start in the mid-to-late teen years. This research suggests that the early pubertal window—ages 10 to 12—may be a strategically important time to offer emotional support and preventive care.
“Puberty is not inherently problematic. Most adolescents navigate it well,” Evans said. “But because puberty creates a window of heightened sensitivity, being proactive—addressing the changes not just on the outside but in the brain—may reduce some of the intense distress many young people experience.”
Funding: The study was published in Psychoneuroendocrinology and is part of a larger National Institutes of Health–funded project led by Assaf Oshri. Co-authors include Steven Kogan, Kalsea Koss, Charles Geier, Ellen House, among others, many of whom are affiliated with the Georgia Center for Developmental Science.
Key Questions Answered
A: Testosterone is a normal and important part of female biology. During early puberty, it increases from adrenal and ovarian sources and acts on brain systems involved in emotion and social processing. That early rise can heighten sensitivity to social feedback before visible changes appear, amplifying stress reactivity and mood shifts.
A: Testosterone appears to act as an amplifier of social awareness, creating a period when preteens are more attuned to peers’ opinions and social acceptance. Negative social experiences during this high-sensitivity window can quickly produce symptoms of anxiety and depression, even though the hormone itself is not the direct cause.
A: Outward appearance may not reflect internal neurochemical change. A child may look unchanged while significant endocrine shifts are occurring. Caregivers and educators should offer emotional support early and proactively rather than waiting for visible signs of puberty or clear distress to appear.
Editorial Notes:
- This article was edited by a Neuroscience News editor.
- The journal paper was reviewed in full.
- Additional context was added by the editorial staff.
About this neurodevelopment and emotions research news
Author: Savannah Peat
Source: University of Georgia
Contact: Savannah Peat – University of Georgia
Image credit: Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access. “Links between hormonal and pubertal development, and adolescent females’ risk for affective symptoms” by Assaf Oshri, Avary I. Evans, Charles F. Geier, Ellen M. House, Kalsea J. Koss, Steven M. Kogan. Psychoneuroendocrinology. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107849
Abstract
Links between hormonal and pubertal development, and adolescent females’ risk for affective symptoms
Depression and anxiety symptoms increase during adolescence, especially in females, but the biological mechanisms remain incompletely understood. While estrogen has been emphasized historically, androgens such as DHEA and testosterone may provide alternate pathways to affective symptom risk.
This study evaluated whether increases in testosterone predict internalizing symptoms in adolescent females by examining hormonal trajectories and visible aspects of pubertal development and testing whether testosterone effects persist after accounting for estradiol and observable maturation.
Using data from 5,476 females ages 9–13 in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, the authors analyzed annual salivary measures of DHEA, testosterone, and estradiol alongside caregiver reports of pubertal development and youth-reported internalizing symptoms.
Latent change score models described developmental dynamics: univariate models captured growth trajectories, bivariate models tested directional hormonal influences, and combined models assessed whether changes in testosterone and pubertal development predicted internalizing symptoms while controlling for estradiol, age, and assay covariates. Testosterone rose gradually across early adolescence; DHEA showed accelerating, nonlinear growth. Increases in testosterone predicted greater internalizing symptoms between ages 10 and 12. Observable pubertal development was negatively associated with internalizing symptoms at one assessment. Estradiol predicted later pubertal development and showed concurrent associations with internalizing symptoms at two assessments but did not account for the testosterone–internalizing link.
Overall, increases in testosterone predicted internalizing symptoms after accounting for observable maturation and estradiol, identifying a specific vulnerability window between ages 10 and 12 with implications for early identification and timing of preventive interventions.