Pubertal Development Scale shows strong psychometrics and national norms in U.S. children and youth.

IntroductionThe 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. MethodsWe 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 Cronbachs alpha and McDonalds 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. ResultsParent- and self-report PDS demonstrated acceptable-to-good internal consistency (Cronbachs : 0.78-0.89; McDonalds {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 childrens PDS total scores did not differ significantly for boys; for girls, parents rated pubertal development on average 0.13 points lower than childrens 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. DiscussionThe 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.