Puberty is regarded as a critical maturational process that can profoundly affect young people’s lives (Caspi & Moffitt, 1991). The timing of the pubertal transition in particular (compared to same-sex, same-age peers) is argued to be an important determinant of the relationship between pubertal maturation and psychopathology (Graber, Lewinsohn, Seeley & Brooks-Gunn, 1997). The early timing hypothesis proposes that early maturing adolescents are more prone to experiencing difficulties because they are less well prepared for pubertal change (Peskin, 1973). Early maturation curtails the time available to individuals to acquire and assimilate skills that allow them to successfully adapt to stressful experiences (Ge et al., 2003; Graber et al., 1997). Research shows that early pubertal timing is associated with the increased use as well as abuse of substances by girls (Dick et al., 2000; Graber et al., 1997; Lanza & Collins, 2002; Magnusson, Stattin & Allen, 1985) and boys (Orr & Ingersoll, 1995; Lall, Singhi, Gurnani, Singhi & Garg, 1980; Graber et al., 1997; Michaud, Suris & Deppen, 2006). Evidence suggests that early maturing adolescents affiliate with an older peer group,
