maturation or a subgroup at highest risk for problematic behaviors. Future work using other indices of physical development such as Tanner stage timing or rapidity of maturation either singly or in combination with timing of menarche may provide important insights into the groups at highest risk at a young age. Nevertheless, the current results are congruent with prior evidence suggesting that early pubertal development has an indirect effect on later risk-taking behaviors via proximal mediating causal factors (Caspi et al. 1993). Our findings suggest that early emerging alcohol use is one such mediating factor.
