{"id":126,"date":"2026-05-12T17:37:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126"},"modified":"2026-05-12T17:37:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:37:09","slug":"puberty-drives-hidden-rise-in-anxiety-among-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126","title":{"rendered":"Puberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Children entering puberty may be experiencing more anxiety than their parents realize, according to a new study.<\/p>\n

Read more NAMI Miami Mental Health Awareness Walk In support of our Miami Community<\/a><\/p>\n

Starting middle school brings big changes \u2013 new schools, heavier workloads, shifting friendships. These changes are easy for parents to see. But alongside them, something less visible may be happening: a rise in anxiety linked to puberty. \u00a0In a new study led by FIU psychology postdoctoral associate Amanda Baker and published in Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology<\/em>, researchers found that as children move through puberty, they report increasing anxiety while parents\u2019 perceptions of their child\u2019s anxiety remain relatively unchanged.<\/p>\n

As children enter puberty, hormonal changes reshape how their brains work. These changes make them more emotional, more sensitive to what others think and more reactive to social situations and feedback. At the same time kids are becoming more aware of their anxiety, they are spending more time away from parents at sports practices, sleepovers and other activities. This can make it harder for parents to see how much their child is struggling.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstanding this is important. These emotional shifts don\u2019t happen for no reason,\u201d said Baker, a researcher in FIU\u2019s Center for Children and Families. \u201cWhen a child seems to be \u2018in a mood\u2019 it may actually be a sign that something deeper is going on internally, and they could be struggling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Researchers found that children ages 10 to 13 consistently rated their anxiety higher than their parents did, and the gap widened as they progressed through puberty. The difference was especially pronounced in children with diagnosed anxiety, highlighting the challenge of relying on a single perspective to understand a child\u2019s anxiety.<\/p>\n

Read more Grant Miller attends the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Gala<\/a><\/p>\n

To get a clearer picture, the researchers combined reports from kids, parents and clinicians into a single overall score using a statistical method called Principal Component Analysis.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough each of these perspectives brings valuable information, we sometimes want one single metric for anxiety when we want to track it over time or understand anxiety generally, not from any one perspective,\u201d said Dana McMakin, co-author of the study and chair of FIU\u2019s Department of Psychology. \u201cA PCA score helps us to have this unified metric as an option.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study highlights the need for multi-informant assessment approaches in both research and practice. The differences in anxiety reports can be crucial for understanding a child\u2019s internal distress and guiding treatment. McMakin emphasizes identifying anxiety early in children provides an important opportunity for intervention, especially at the cusp of adolescence when mental health risk increases and dynamic development creates opportunities for change.<\/p>\n

Read more Students Reclaim the Narrative Through the Lens<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Children entering puberty may be experiencing more anxiety than their parents realize, according to a new study. Starting middle school brings big changes \u2013 new schools, heavier workloads, shifting friendships. These changes are easy for parents to see. But alongside them, something less visible may be happening: a rise in anxiety linked to puberty. In<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[49,50,51],"class_list":["post-126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiu-community-news","tag-fiu-community-news","tag-florida-international-university-featured","tag-florida-international-university-home"],"yoast_head":"\nPuberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children - Miami Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Puberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children - Miami Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Children entering puberty may be experiencing more anxiety than their parents realize, according to a new study. Starting middle school brings big changes \u2013 new schools, heavier workloads, shifting friendships. These changes are easy for parents to see. But alongside them, something less visible may be happening: a rise in anxiety linked to puberty. In\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Miami Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-12T17:37:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/15e1c7e2d9b48f6f7cf9979cd488ba34.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967\"},\"headline\":\"Puberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-12T17:37:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126\"},\"wordCount\":465,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/15e1c7e2d9b48f6f7cf9979cd488ba34.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"FIU Community News\",\"Florida International University Featured\",\"Florida International University Home\"],\"articleSection\":[\"FIU Community News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126\",\"name\":\"Puberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children - Miami Movers Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/15e1c7e2d9b48f6f7cf9979cd488ba34.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-12T17:37:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/15e1c7e2d9b48f6f7cf9979cd488ba34.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/15e1c7e2d9b48f6f7cf9979cd488ba34.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":960},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?p=126#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Puberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Miami Movers Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/miamimovershub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Puberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children - Miami Movers Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Puberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children - Miami Movers Hub","og_description":"Children entering puberty may be experiencing more anxiety than their parents realize, according to a new study. Starting middle school brings big changes \u2013 new schools, heavier workloads, shifting friendships. These changes are easy for parents to see. But alongside them, something less visible may be happening: a rise in anxiety linked to puberty. In","og_url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126","og_site_name":"Miami Movers Hub","article_published_time":"2026-05-12T17:37:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":960,"url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/15e1c7e2d9b48f6f7cf9979cd488ba34.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967"},"headline":"Puberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children","datePublished":"2026-05-12T17:37:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126"},"wordCount":465,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/15e1c7e2d9b48f6f7cf9979cd488ba34.jpg","keywords":["FIU Community News","Florida International University Featured","Florida International University Home"],"articleSection":["FIU Community News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126","url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126","name":"Puberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children - Miami Movers Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/15e1c7e2d9b48f6f7cf9979cd488ba34.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-12T17:37:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/15e1c7e2d9b48f6f7cf9979cd488ba34.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/15e1c7e2d9b48f6f7cf9979cd488ba34.jpg","width":960,"height":960},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?p=126#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Puberty drives hidden rise in anxiety among children"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/","name":"Miami Movers Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/31b5994caca03389f0086142e505b967","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/miamimovershub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miamimovershub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}