"prevalence estimates indicate that during adolescence a shift in the sex ratio of depression occurs that results in twice as many females reporting symptoms as males. the purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between this sex shift and a set of risk factors (ruminative coping, pubertal status, and hormones) using the tripartite model. data were collected from 213 adolescents (between ages 12 and 19) across all stages of pubertal development (pre-, mid-, and post-puberty) through paper and pencil questionnaires and measures of hand features.