A Hidden Influence On Teen Girls' Emotions: Testosterone

Scientists have discovered that testosterone may play a bigger role in teen girls' mental health than doctors once believed. A new study found that girls whose testosterone levels rose early during puberty were more likely to experience depression and anxiety. The research was published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. These findings could change the way doctors and parents think about emotional struggles during puberty.

For a long time, scientists focused on estrogen as the main hormone causing emotional changes in girls during puberty. Estrogen is the hormone most people associate with female development. But this new study suggests that testosterone — a hormone found in both boys and girls — may actually be a stronger predictor of mental health symptoms. Girls as young as 10 years old showed this connection between rising testosterone and increased emotional difficulties.

Testosterone and a related hormone called DHEA tend to rise earlier in puberty than estrogen does. These hormones usually begin increasing around ages 9 to 10. Estrogen, on the other hand, rises later — usually between ages 11 and 13. The study found that the early rise in testosterone was more closely linked to depression and anxiety than any physical signs of puberty or rises in estrogen.

Estrogen was connected more to physical changes, like breast development and body hair, but not as closely tied to mood problems. This surprised many researchers who had assumed estrogen was the main driver of emotional changes. The new findings point to testosterone as the hormone that most affects how a girl's brain responds to stress and social situations during those early puberty years.

One of the study's co-authors, Professor Assaf Oshri from the University of Georgia, explained why this matters. He said that puberty is not just about physical changes — it is also a major shift happening inside the brain. A girl may not look very different on the outside yet, but her body's hormone system may already be changing in ways that affect her mood, stress levels, and emotions. Oshri noted that testosterone may make the brain especially sensitive to social feedback, like feeling left out or criticized by others.

Another co-author, Avary Evans, a graduate student at the university, stressed that puberty itself is not a bad thing. She said puberty simply creates a period of greater sensitivity, and that adults need to understand and support young people during this time. Researchers believe that the window between ages 10 and 12 may be especially important for helping girls build emotional strength. Knowing about this sensitive period could help parents, teachers, and doctors offer better support before mental health problems grow worse.