National Norms and Psychometrics for the Pubertal Development Scale

Introduction: The Pubertal Development Scale (PDS) is widely used for puberty assessment, yet its psychometric properties and norms are limited to research data. This study examined the psychometric properties of parent- and self-report PDS and established continuous norms in nationally representative samples. Methods: We analyzed two deidentified survey samples: a parent-report sample of children aged 6-18 (N=2000, Mage=11.37, 47.2% female, 74.9% White), and a youth self-report sample aged 12-18 (N=754, Mage=14.33, 49.6% female, 75.3% White). Both samples were representative of the U.S. population on key demographics, and the self-report sample consisted entirely of children whose parents also participated in the parent sample, thus creating parent-child dyads. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega. Cross-informant agreement was assessed with Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC; two-way model, absolute agreement, single unit) and Bland-Altman plots. Age-dependent norms of each sex were established with Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS), with 5th-95th percentile curves and reference tables provided. Results: Parent- and self-report PDS demonstrated acceptable-to-good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.78-0.89; McDonald's omega: 0.79-0.90). Among the 754 parent-youth dyads, excellent cross-informant agreement was observed for both sexes (ICC(2,1)=0.88). Parents' and children's PDS total scores did not differ significantly for boys; for girls, parents rated pubertal development on average 0.13 points lower than children's self-report. Regardless of informants, PDS scores increased nonlinearly with age and exhibited sex-specific developmental patterns. Girls showed earlier pubertal onset, faster progression, and greater convergence toward pubertal completion by late adolescence. Discussion: The PDS demonstrated strong psychometrics in national samples, supporting its utility in the general pediatric population. The national norms provide empirical benchmarks for PDS score interpretation, strengthening its value as a broad estimation of pubertal status and a pre-screening tool for identifying early or delayed puberty.