The Impact of Family Criminal Justice Exposure on Teen Puberty

Imagine this: today's teens are hitting puberty earlier than ever before. This trend is happening at the same time as a big expansion of the criminal legal system, which affects communities of color more than others. But is there a link between these two things? Researchers wanted to find out if family members' involvement with the criminal legal system could affect how early teens go through puberty. They also looked into whether family stress played a role in this and if race or ethnicity made a difference.

Over three years, they tracked a large group of teens from all over the country. What they found was surprising. About 40% of Black teens, 20% of Latinx teens, 16% of teens from other backgrounds, and 10% of White teens had family members who had been involved with the criminal legal system. Using a special design called case-crossover, they controlled for factors like neighborhood crime and socioeconomic status. They found that family members' involvement with the legal system did predict earlier puberty in teens. Even more, they discovered that family stress could explain this link. This matters because the way the U. S. handles law and order might be making health differences worse. Early puberty can have long-term effects on a person's health throughout their life.

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