Pubertal timing and daily alcohol use in adulthood: Insights into the experiences of late maturers.

Pubertal timing has implications for adolescent substance use, such that early maturers have increased use. Yet, pubertal timing is not widely studied beyond adolescence, making it unclear whether and how adolescent effects persist or if downstream effects emerge after adolescence. This paper investigates the relation between pubertal timing (perceived comparison to same-sex peers) and alcohol use for 75-100 days and examines alcohol belief mediators. Participants (N=183) aged 21-45 years (M age =27.33 [SD age =6.65]) came from two intensive longitudinal studies. Across ~13,000 daily observations, pubertal timing was associated with normative daily alcohol use during adulthood, such that women who matured late and men who matured on-time drank the most. Alcohol beliefs about relaxation and social facilitation influenced the alcohol use behavior of late maturing men less than their peers. Adolescent alcohol use might be slow to emerge in late developers, and the mechanisms underlying use seem to differ across development and by gender.