Girls’ and Boys’ Health and Development Project: Ongoing Analyses

In collaboration with pediatricians and endocrinologists at Columbia University, and Julia Graber at the University of Florida, the Center is studying 400 African-American and White girls and boys as they reached adolescence. The study examines how physiological processes associated with puberty, and relationships with parents and peers, set girls and boys on trajectories leading to more or less positive adjustment. The study follows girls from third through sixth grades, and boys from fourth through seventh grades, from integrated working- and middle-class communities. The data from this project addresses recent concerns about the effects of early puberty on girls’ development and overall well-being. The data also helps fill a critical gap in our knowledge about the development of boys.

Funding Sources: NICHD; William T. Grant Foundation.

Contact: Julia Graber, Ph.D.