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Rucker A, Watson A, Badolato G, Jarvis L, Patel SJ, Goyal MK. Social Navigation for Adolescent Emergency Department Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Adolesc Health 2024; 74:292-300. [PMID: 37804303 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.08.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Adolescent emergency department (ED) patients have unmet social needs that contribute to ED use. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of social needs navigation for adolescents on subsequent ED visits and community resource use and to identify characteristics associated with elevated social risk. METHODS Between July 2017 and August 2019, we used a random date generator to establish intervention and control group enrollment dates. All adolescents completed a social needs survey. Adolescents enrolled on intervention dates received in-person, risk-tailored social needs navigation. Those enrolled on control dates received a preprinted resource guide. We used chart review and follow-up calls to assess 12-month ED revisits and community resource use. Logistic regression was used to compare these outcomes between groups. We measured the association between ≥3 reported unmet needs and characteristics hypothesized a priori to be associated with elevated social risk (nonurgent visits, obesity, or any of nine "socially sensitive" chief complaints) using logistic regression. RESULTS A total of 399 adolescents were randomized. There was no difference between groups in the number of ED revisits. There was increased community resource use in the intervention group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 3.5 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.5, 8.2]). Adolescents with a socially sensitive chief complaint had increased odds of ≥3 unmet needs (aOR: 2.2 [95% CI: 1.3, 3.6]), as did those with food insecurity in a post hoc analysis (aOR: 9.9 [95% CI: 4.0, 24.6]). DISCUSSION Social needs navigation increased community resource use but not subsequent ED visits. Adolescents with socially sensitive chief complaints or food insecurity reported increased unmet needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Rucker
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C; School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
| | - Ar'Reon Watson
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C
| | - Gia Badolato
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C
| | - Lenore Jarvis
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C; School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C
| | - Shilpa J Patel
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C; School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C
| | - Monika K Goyal
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's National Hospital, Washington, D.C; School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C
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Keith MH, Martin MA. Social Determinant Pathways to Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Among Nulliparous U.S. Women. Womens Health Issues 2024; 34:36-44. [PMID: 37718230 PMCID: PMC10840909 DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2023.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States and impact Black mothers at disproportionately higher rates. Hypertensive disparities among racialized groups are rooted in systemic inequalities, and we hypothesize that clinical markers of allostatic load capture embodied disparities in stressors that can link upstream social determinants of health with downstream hypertensive outcomes. METHODS We analyzed observational cohort data from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be (n = 6,501) and developed a structural equation model linking latent social determinants of health, longitudinal markers of allostatic load across gestation, and hypertensive pregnancy outcomes in a multigroup framework. RESULTS Non-Hispanic Black mothers-to-be (n = 1,155) showed higher rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (32%) than non-Hispanic white women (n = 5,346, 23%). Among both groups, the social environment showed stronger direct effects on allostatic markers than via behaviorally mediated dietary, exercise, or smoking pathways. Demographic aspects of the social environment (e.g., household income, partnered status) were the most salient predictor of hypertensive risk and showed stronger effects among Black women. CONCLUSIONS Embodied stress rooted in the social environment is a major path driving maternal hypertensive disparities in the United States, with effects that vary across racialized groups. These pathway findings underscore the greater impact of systemic stressors relative to individual health behaviors. More comprehensive and detailed analyses of sociostructural domains are needed to identify promising avenues for policy and intervention to improve maternal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica H Keith
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
| | - Melanie A Martin
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington; Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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3
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Bar-Sadeh B, Pnueli L, Keestra S, Bentley GR, Melamed P. Srd5a1 is Differentially Regulated and Methylated During Prepubertal Development in the Ovary and Hypothalamus. J Endocr Soc 2023; 7:bvad108. [PMID: 37646011 PMCID: PMC10461783 DOI: 10.1210/jendso/bvad108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
5α-reductase-1 catalyzes production of various steroids, including neurosteroids. We reported previously that expression of its encoding gene, Srd5a1, drops in murine ovaries and hypothalamic preoptic area (POA) after early-life immune stress, seemingly contributing to delayed puberty and ovarian follicle depletion, and in the ovaries the first intron was more methylated at two CpGs. Here, we hypothesized that this CpG-containing locus comprises a methylation-sensitive transcriptional enhancer for Srd5a1. We found that ovarian Srd5a1 mRNA increased 8-fold and methylation of the same two CpGs decreased up to 75% between postnatal days 10 and 30. Estradiol (E2) levels rise during this prepubertal stage, and exposure of ovarian cells to E2 increased Srd5a1 expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation in an ovarian cell line confirmed ESR1 binding to this differentially methylated genomic region and enrichment of the enhancer modification, H3K4me1. Targeting dCas9-DNMT3 to this locus increased CpG2 methylation 2.5-fold and abolished the Srd5a1 response to E2. In the POA, Srd5a1 mRNA levels decreased 70% between postnatal days 7 and 10 and then remained constant without correlation to CpG methylation levels. Srd5a1 mRNA levels did not respond to E2 in hypothalamic GT1-7 cells, even after dCas9-TET1 reduced CpG1 methylation by 50%. The neonatal drop in POA Srd5a1 expression occurs at a time of increasing glucocorticoids, and treatment of GT1-7 cells with dexamethasone reduced Srd5a1 mRNA levels; chromatin immunoprecipitation confirmed glucocorticoid receptor binding at the enhancer. Our findings on the tissue-specific regulation of Srd5a1 and its methylation-sensitive control by E2 in the ovaries illuminate epigenetic mechanisms underlying reproductive phenotypic variation that impact life-long health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Bar-Sadeh
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Lilach Pnueli
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
| | - Sarai Keestra
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | | | - Philippa Melamed
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel
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Klimek M, Entringer S, Matras A, Blukacz M, Nenko I, Galbarczyk A, Jasienska G. Early-life adversities and later-life reproductive patterns in women with fully traced reproductive history. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9328. [PMID: 37291139 PMCID: PMC10250381 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36226-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most crucial determinants of early-life development is the experience of childhood adversities. However, limited evidence is available for how these experiences shape later-life reproductive outcomes in women. Here we test the association between early-life adversities and reproductive parameters in women. Post-reproductive women (N = 105; mean age = 59.7; SD = 10.09) were recruited at the Mogielica Human Ecology Study Site in Poland within a traditional population with a low prevalence of birth control usage and fully traced reproductive histories. Reproductive parameters, as well as exposure to early-life abuse and neglect, were assessed using questionnaires. Childhood adversity was associated negatively with age at menarche (p = 0.009). Analyses on specific subtypes revealed that compared to women who did not experience any kind of early-life adversities in childhood, those who were exposed to emotional (p = 0.007) and physical (p = 0.023) neglect had an earlier age at menarche, those who experienced emotional abuse reported an earlier age at first birth (p = 0.035), and those who were exposed to physical abuse gave birth to fewer number of sons (p = 0.010). Our results suggest that women exposed to childhood adversities experience earlier physiological reproductive readiness and timing of the first birth, but their overall biological condition might be impaired as they bear fewer sons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Klimek
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Agnieszka Matras
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Mateusz Blukacz
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
- Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Ilona Nenko
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Andrzej Galbarczyk
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
| | - Grazyna Jasienska
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland
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5
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Helfrecht C, Wang H, Dira SJ, DeAvila D, Meehan CL. DHEAS and nutritional status among Sidama, Ngandu, and Aka children: Effects of cortisol and implications for adrenarche. Am J Hum Biol 2023:e23881. [PMID: 36802115 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Adrenarche, the biological event marked by rising production of dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate (DHEAS), may represent a sensitive period in child development, with important implications for adolescence and beyond. Nutritional status, particularly BMI and/or adiposity, has long been hypothesized as a factor in DHEAS production but findings are inconsistent, and few studies have examined this among non-industrialized societies. In addition, cortisol has not been included in these models. We here evaluate effects of height- (HAZ), weight- (WAZ), and BMI- (BMIZ) for-age on DHEAS concentrations among Sidama agropastoralist, Ngandu horticulturalist, and Aka hunter-gatherer children. METHODS Heights and weights were collected from 206 children aged 2-18 years old. HAZ, WAZ, and BMIZ were calculated using CDC standards. DHEAS and cortisol assays were used to determine biomarker concentrations in hair. Generalized linear modeling was used to examine effects of nutritional status on DHEAS concentrations, as well as cortisol, controlling for age, sex, and population. RESULTS Despite the prevalence of low HAZ and WAZ scores, the majority (77%) of children had BMI z-scores >-2.0 SD. Nutritional status has no significant effect on DHEAS concentrations, controlling for age, sex, and population. Cortisol, however, is a significant predictor of DHEAS concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Our findings do not support a relationship between nutritional status and DHEAS. Instead, results suggest an important role for stress and ecology in DHEAS concentrations across childhood. Specifically, effects of environment via cortisol may be influential to patterning of DHEAS. Future work should investigate local ecological stressors and their relationship to adrenarche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney Helfrecht
- Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Hui Wang
- Institute for Rural Health Research, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Samuel J Dira
- Department of Anthropology, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
| | - David DeAvila
- Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Courtney L Meehan
- Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
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Li H, Cao Y. Facing the pandemic in the dark: Psychopathic personality traits and life history strategies during COVID-19 lockdown period in different areas of China. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 42:1299-1307. [PMID: 33679114 PMCID: PMC7917003 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-01549-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The current research aims to examine variation in psychopathic personality traits and life history strategies during COVID-19 lockdown period in different areas of China. In Study 1 (N = 564), participants completed explicit measures of psychopathic traits and of life history strategy. To attenuate common method biases, Study 2 (N = 267) employed an alternative measure of psychopathy and an indirect measure of life history strategy, namely, future-discounting. Across two studies, we found consistent and significant evidence that participants from Wuhan, the initial epicenter of the pandemic, evidenced a faster life history strategy and a markedly higher level of psychopathic traits than did participants from Chongqing, which was less affected by the virus. Furthermore, a consistent pattern of correlation between life history strategy and psychopathy was observed across different groups of participants. We also replicated some previously reported studies but found that not all sex effects were consistent with life history in Chinese populations. Taken together, these findings suggest that individuals may show a high degree of variation in life history speed and psychopathic traits in response to unpredictable and adverse environments, which provide support for extended life history plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Li
- College of International Studies, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715 China
| | - Yu Cao
- School of Foreign Languages, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, China
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Street ME, Ponzi D, Renati R, Petraroli M, D’Alvano T, Lattanzi C, Ferrari V, Rollo D, Stagi S. Precocious puberty under stressful conditions: new understanding and insights from the lessons learnt from international adoptions and the COVID-19 pandemic. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1149417. [PMID: 37201098 PMCID: PMC10187034 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1149417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuro-biological variations in the timing of sexual maturation within a species are part of an evolved strategy that depend on internal and external environmental conditions. An increased incidence of central precocious puberty (CPP) has been described in both adopted and "covid-19 pandemic" children. Until recently, it was hypothesised that the triggers for CPP in internationally adopted children were likely to be better nutrition, greater environmental stability, and improved psychological wellbeing. However, following data collected during and after the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, other possibilities must be considered. In a society with high levels of child wellbeing, the threat to life presented by an unknown and potentially serious disease and the stressful environment created by lockdowns and other public health measures could trigger earlier pubertal maturation as an evolutionary response to favour early reproduction. The main driver for increased rates of precocious and rapidly progressive puberty during the pandemic could have been the environment of "fear and stress" in schools and households. In many children, CPP may have been triggered by the psychological effects of living without normal social contact, using PPE, being near adults concerned about financial and other issues and the fear of getting ill. The features and time of progression of CPP in children during the pandemic are similar to those observed in adopted children. This review considers the mechanisms regulating puberty with a focus on neurobiological and evolutionary mechanisms, and analyses precocious puberty both during the pandemic and in internationally adopted children searching for common yet unconsidered factors in an attempt to identify the factors which may have acted as triggers. In particular, we focus on stress as a potential factor in the early activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and its correlation with rapid sexual maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Elisabeth Street
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Unit of Paediatrics, P. Barilla Children’s Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Parma, Parma, Italy
- *Correspondence: Maria Elisabeth Street,
| | - Davide Ponzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Roberta Renati
- Department of Pedagogy, Psychology and Philosophy, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maddalena Petraroli
- Unit of Paediatrics, P. Barilla Children’s Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Tiziana D’Alvano
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Unit of Paediatrics, P. Barilla Children’s Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Claudia Lattanzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Unit of Paediatrics, P. Barilla Children’s Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Vittorio Ferrari
- Health Sciences Department, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Dolores Rollo
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Stefano Stagi
- Health Sciences Department, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero Univesitaria Meyer IRCCS, Florence, Italy
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Sýkorová K, Fiala V, Hlaváčová J, Kaňková Š, Flegr J. Redheaded women are more sexually active than other women, but it is probably due to their suitors. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1000753. [DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1000753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Women with red hair color, i.e., 1–9% of female Europeans, tend to be the subject of various stereotypes about their sexually liberated behavior. The aim of the present case–control study was to explore whether a connection between red hair color and sexual behavior really exists using data from 110 women (34% redheaded) and 93 men (22% redheaded). Redheadedness in women, correlated with various traits related to sexual life, namely with higher sexual desire as measured by Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory, with higher sexual activity and more sexual partners of the preferred gender over the past year, earlier initiation of sexual life, and higher sexual submissiveness. Structural equation modelling, however, showed that sexual desire of redheaded women mediated neither their higher sexual activity nor their higher number of sexual partners. These results indirectly indicate that the apparently more liberated sexual behavior in redheaded women could be the consequence of potential mates’ frequent attempts to have sex with them. Our results contradicted the three other tested models, specifically the models based on the assumption of different physiology, faster life history strategy, and altered self-perception of redheaded women induced by stereotypes about them. Naturally, the present study cannot say anything about the validity of other potential models that were not subjects of testing.
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9
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Yang A, Zhu N, Lu HJ, Chang L. Environmental risks, life history strategy, and developmental psychology. Psych J 2022; 11:433-447. [DOI: 10.1002/pchj.561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anting Yang
- Department of Psychology University of Macau Macau China
| | - Nan Zhu
- Department of Psychology University of Macau Macau China
| | - Hui Jing Lu
- Department of Applied Social Sciences the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Kowloon Hong Kong
| | - Lei Chang
- Department of Psychology University of Macau Macau China
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Ellis BJ, Sheridan MA, Belsky J, McLaughlin KA. Why and how does early adversity influence development? Toward an integrated model of dimensions of environmental experience. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:447-471. [PMID: 35285791 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Two extant frameworks - the harshness-unpredictability model and the threat-deprivation model - attempt to explain which dimensions of adversity have distinct influences on development. These models address, respectively, why, based on a history of natural selection, development operates the way it does across a range of environmental contexts, and how the neural mechanisms that underlie plasticity and learning in response to environmental experiences influence brain development. Building on these frameworks, we advance an integrated model of dimensions of environmental experience, focusing on threat-based forms of harshness, deprivation-based forms of harshness, and environmental unpredictability. This integrated model makes clear that the why and the how of development are inextricable and, together, essential to understanding which dimensions of the environment matter. Core integrative concepts include the directedness of learning, multiple levels of developmental adaptation to the environment, and tradeoffs between adaptive and maladaptive developmental responses to adversity. The integrated model proposes that proximal and distal cues to threat-based and deprivation-based forms of harshness, as well as unpredictability in those cues, calibrate development to both immediate rearing environments and broader ecological contexts, current and future. We highlight actionable directions for research needed to investigate the integrated model and advance understanding of dimensions of environmental experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce J Ellis
- Departments of Psychology and Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Margaret A Sheridan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jay Belsky
- Department of Human Ecology, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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11
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Helle S, Tanskanen AO, Coall DA, Danielsbacka M. Matrilateral bias of grandparental investment in grandchildren persists despite the grandchildren's adverse early life experiences. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212574. [PMID: 35168400 PMCID: PMC8848246 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary theory predicts a downward flow of investment from older to younger generations, representing individual efforts to maximize inclusive fitness. Maternal grandparents and maternal grandmothers (MGMs) in particular consistently show the highest levels of investment (e.g. time, care and resources) in their grandchildren. Grandparental investment overall may depend on social and environmental conditions that affect the development of children and modify the benefits and costs of investment. Currently, the responses of grandparents to adverse early life experiences (AELEs) in their grandchildren are assessed from a perspective of increased investment to meet increased need. Here, we formulate an alternative prediction that AELEs may be associated with reduced grandparental investment, as they can reduce the reproductive value of the grandchildren. Moreover, we predicted that paternal grandparents react more strongly to AELEs compared to maternal grandparents because maternal kin should expend extra effort to invest in their descendants. Using population-based survey data for English and Welsh adolescents, we found evidence that the investment of maternal grandparents (MGMs in particular) in their grandchildren was unrelated to the grandchildren's AELEs, while paternal grandparents invested less in grandchildren who had experienced more AELEs. These findings seemed robust to measurement errors in AELEs and confounding due to omitted shared causes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuli Helle
- Department of Social Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Turku, Assistentinkatu 7, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Antti O Tanskanen
- Department of Social Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Turku, Assistentinkatu 7, 20014 Turku, Finland.,Population Research Institute, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
| | - David A Coall
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup WA 6027, Australia
| | - Mirkka Danielsbacka
- Department of Social Research, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Turku, Assistentinkatu 7, 20014 Turku, Finland.,Population Research Institute, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
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12
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Rucker AC, Watson A, Badolato G, Boyle M, Hendrix C, Jarvis L, Patel SJ, Goyal MK. Predictors of Elevated Social Risk in Pediatric Emergency Department Patients and Families. Pediatr Emerg Care 2022; 38:e910-e917. [PMID: 34225329 DOI: 10.1097/pec.0000000000002489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to identify predictors of high unmet social needs among pediatric emergency department (ED) patients. We hypothesized that obesity, frequent nonurgent visits, reported food insecurity, or an at-risk chief complaint (CC) would predict elevated social risk. METHODS We administered a tablet-based survey assessing unmet social needs in 13 domains to caregivers of patients aged 0 to 17 years presenting to an urban pediatric ED. Responses were used to tabulate a social risk score (SRS). We performed multivariable logistic regression to measure associations between a high SRS (≥3) and obesity, frequent nonurgent visits, food insecurity, or an at-risk CC (physical abuse, sexual abuse, assault, mammalian bites, reproductive/sexual health complaints, intoxication, ingestion/poisoning, psychiatric/behavioral complaints, or any complaint triaged as "least urgent"). RESULTS Five hundred seventy caregivers completed the survey. Eighty-one percent reported at least one unmet social need, and 33% identified ≥3 social needs. Caregivers of patients with an at-risk CC had twice the odds of a high SRS (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-3.3). Caregivers of patients reporting food insecurity had 4 times the odds of a high SRS (aOR, 4.3; 95% CI, 2.5-7.3). Neither obesity (aOR, 1.5; 95% CI, 0.9-2.6) nor frequent nonurgent visits (aOR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.4-1.9) were predictive of a high SRS. CONCLUSIONS Unmet social needs are prevalent among caregivers of pediatric ED patients, supporting universal screening in this population. Patients with an at-risk CC or reported food insecurity might benefit from proactive intervention. Future studies should examine optimal methods for ED-based interventions that address social determinants of health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ar'Reon Watson
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Child and Human Development, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
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13
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Bar-Sadeh B, Amichai OE, Pnueli L, Begum K, Leeman G, Emes RD, Stöger R, Bentley GR, Melamed P. Epigenetic regulation of 5α reductase-1 underlies adaptive plasticity of reproductive function and pubertal timing. BMC Biol 2022; 20:11. [PMID: 34996447 PMCID: PMC8742331 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01219-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Women facing increased energetic demands in childhood commonly have altered adult ovarian activity and shorter reproductive lifespan, possibly comprising a strategy to optimize reproductive success. Here, we sought to understand the mechanisms of early-life programming of reproductive function, by integrating analysis of reproductive tissues in an appropriate mouse model with methylation analysis of proxy tissue DNA in a well-characterized population of Bangladeshi migrants in the UK. Bangladeshi women whose childhood was in Bangladesh were found to have later pubertal onset and lower age-matched ovarian reserve than Bangladeshi women who grew-up in England. Subsequently, we aimed to explore the potential relevance to the altered reproductive phenotype of one of the genes that emerged from the screens. Results Of the genes associated with differential methylation in the Bangladeshi women whose childhood was in Bangladesh as compared to Bangladeshi women who grew up in the UK, 13 correlated with altered expression of the orthologous gene in the mouse model ovaries. These mice had delayed pubertal onset and a smaller ovarian reserve compared to controls. The most relevant of these genes for reproductive function appeared to be SRD5A1, which encodes the steroidogenic enzyme 5α reductase-1. SRD5A1 was more methylated at the same transcriptional enhancer in mice ovaries as in the women’s buccal DNA, and its expression was lower in the hypothalamus of the mice as well, suggesting a possible role in the central control of reproduction. The expression of Kiss1 and Gnrh was also lower in these mice compared to controls, and inhibition of 5α reductase-1 reduced Kiss1 and Gnrh mRNA levels and blocked GnRH release in GnRH neuronal cell cultures. Crucially, we show that inhibition of this enzyme in female mice in vivo delayed pubertal onset. Conclusions SRD5A1/5α reductase-1 responds epigenetically to the environment and its downregulation appears to alter the reproductive phenotype. These findings help to explain diversity in reproductive characteristics and how they are shaped by early-life environment and reveal novel pathways that might be targeted to mitigate health issues caused by life-history trade-offs. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01219-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Bar-Sadeh
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 32000, Haifa, Israel
| | - Or E Amichai
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 32000, Haifa, Israel
| | - Lilach Pnueli
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 32000, Haifa, Israel
| | - Khurshida Begum
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Gregory Leeman
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Richard D Emes
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Reinhard Stöger
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, LE12 5RD, UK
| | | | - Philippa Melamed
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, 32000, Haifa, Israel.
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14
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Međedović J. Conservatism and religiousness participate in fast life history dynamics via elevated reproductive motivation. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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15
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Valge M, Meitern R, Hõrak P. Pubertal maturation is independent of family structure but daughters of divorced (but not dead) fathers start reproduction earlier. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2021.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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16
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Međedović J. Phenotypic Signals of Sexual Selection and Fast Life History Dynamics for the Long-Term but Not Short-Term Mating. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 19:14747049211057158. [PMID: 34841944 PMCID: PMC10461799 DOI: 10.1177/14747049211057158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating patterns are crucial for understanding selection regimes in current populations and highly implicative for sexual selection and life history theory. However, empirical data on the relations between mating and reproductive outcomes in contemporary humans are lacking. In the present research we examined the sexual selection on mating (with an emphasis on Bateman's third parameter - the association between mating and reproductive success) and life history dynamics of mating by examining the relations between mating patterns and a comprehensive set of variables which determine human reproductive ecology. We conducted two studies (Study 1: N = 398, Study 2: N = 996, the sample was representative for participants' sex, age, region, and settlement size). The findings from these studies were mutually congruent and complementary. In general, the data suggested that short-term mating was unrelated or even negatively related to reproductive success. Conversely, long-term mating was positively associated with reproductive success (number of children in Study 1; number of children and grandchildren in Study 2) and there were indices that the beneficial role of long-term mating is more pronounced in males, which is in accordance with Bateman's third principle. Observed age of first reproduction mediated the link between long-term mating and number of children but only in male participants (Study 2). There were no clear indications of the position of the mating patterns in human life history trajectories; however, the obtained data suggested that long-term mating has some characteristics of fast life history dynamics. Findings are implicative for sexual selection and life history theory in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janko Međedović
- Institute of Criminological and Sociological
Research, Belgrade, Serbia
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17
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Međedović J. On the Incongruence between Psychometric and Psychosocial-Biodemographic Measures of Life History. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2021; 31:341-360. [PMID: 32918708 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-020-09377-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In evolutionary psychology, it is customary to measure life-history via psychometric inventories such as the Arizona Life History Battery (ALHB). The validity of this approach has been questioned: it is argued that these measures are not congruent with biological life history events, such as the number of children, age at first birth, or pubertal timing. However, empirical data to test this critique are lacking. We therefore administered the ALHB to a convenience sample of young adults in Serbia (N = 447). We also collected information on psychosocial-biodemographic life history parameters closely related to biological life history traits: pubertal timing, onset of sexual behavior, short- and long-term mating, number of children, timing of reproduction, parenthood values, and environmental harshness. We found that correlations between these two sets of measures were rare, unsystematic, and mostly low in magnitude. Stable patterns of relations emerged only between the indicators of environmental conditions from both sets of measures. Furthermore, some ALHB indicators were found to be positively related with early fertility, which is incongruent with the conceptual foundation of ALHB. Finally, network analysis and factor analysis within each set of measures revealed different structures and that the hypothesis of unidimensionality, on which the ALHB was founded, cannot be applied to psychosocial-biodemographic life history indicators. Our results support the critique of ALHB as a set of measures lacking validity to capture biodemographic life-history parameters. ALHB measures are indeed relevant for understanding life-history variation, but they cannot be used as a substitute for specific life history characteristics. Our findings are a warning to researchers to use direct measures of biological events in order to measure life-history dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janko Međedović
- Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research, Gračanička 18, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
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18
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Sýkorová K, Flegr J. Faster life history strategy manifests itself by lower age at menarche, higher sexual desire, and earlier reproduction in people with worse health. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11254. [PMID: 34045560 PMCID: PMC8159921 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90579-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Factors which indicate lower life expectancy also induce switching to a faster life strategy, that is, a higher investment in current reproduction at the expense of future reproduction and body maintenance. We tested a hypothesis according to which impairment of individual health serves as a signal for switching to a faster life strategy using online-gathered data from 32,911 subjects. Worse health was associated with lower age at menarche and earlier initiation of sexual life in women and higher sexual desire and earlier reproduction in both sexes. Individuals with worse health also exhibited lower sexual activity, lower number of sexual partners, and lower total number of children. These results suggest that impaired health shifts individuals towards a faster life strategy but also has a negative (physiological) effect on behaviours related to sexual life. Signs of a faster life strategy were also found in Rh-negative men in good health, indicating that even just genetic predisposition to worse health could serve as a signal for switching to a faster life strategy. We suggest that improved public health in developed countries and the resulting shift to a slower life strategy could be the ultimate cause of the phenomenon of demographic transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kateřina Sýkorová
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vinicna 7, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Jaroslav Flegr
- Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Vinicna 7, 128 00, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Applied Neurosciences and Brain Imagination, National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, Klecany, Czech Republic
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19
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Gaml-Sørensen A, Brix N, Ernst A, Lunddorf LLH, Ramlau-Hansen CH. Father Absence in Pregnancy or During Childhood and Pubertal Development in Girls and Boys: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Child Dev 2021; 92:1494-1508. [PMID: 33400273 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 07/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
This cohort study, including 15,810 children born 2000-2003 in Denmark, aimed to investigate the association between father absence in pregnancy or during childhood and pubertal development in girls and boys. The children were followed from 11 years of age and throughout pubertal development. Mean age differences according to exposure groups were estimated for each pubertal marker separately and for a combined pubertal marker. The results suggested that father absence in pregnancy and during childhood was associated with earlier pubertal development in girls, and father absence from late childhood was associated with earlier pubertal development in boys. The paternal investment theory, the psychosocial acceleration theory and the energetics theory were explored, and did not seem to explain the observed associations.
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20
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Bar-Sadeh B, Rudnizky S, Pnueli L, Bentley GR, Stöger R, Kaplan A, Melamed P. Unravelling the role of epigenetics in reproductive adaptations to early-life environment. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2020; 16:519-533. [PMID: 32620937 DOI: 10.1038/s41574-020-0370-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive function adjusts in response to environmental conditions in order to optimize success. In humans, this plasticity includes age of pubertal onset, hormone levels and age at menopause. These reproductive characteristics vary across populations with distinct lifestyles and following specific childhood events, and point to a role for the early-life environment in shaping adult reproductive trajectories. Epigenetic mechanisms respond to external signals, exert long-term effects on gene expression and have been shown in animal and cellular studies to regulate normal reproductive function, strongly implicating their role in these adaptations. Moreover, human cohort data have revealed differential DNA methylation signatures in proxy tissues that are associated with reproductive phenotypic variation, although the cause-effect relationships are difficult to discern, calling for additional complementary approaches to establish functionality. In this Review, we summarize how adult reproductive function can be shaped by childhood events. We discuss why the influence of the childhood environment on adult reproductive function is an important consideration in understanding how reproduction is regulated and necessitates consideration by clinicians treating women with diverse life histories. The resolution of the molecular mechanisms responsible for human reproductive plasticity could also lead to new approaches for intervention by targeting these epigenetic modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Bar-Sadeh
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Sergei Rudnizky
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Lilach Pnueli
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Reinhard Stöger
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Ariel Kaplan
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Philippa Melamed
- Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
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21
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Human Life Histories as Dynamic Networks: Using Network Analysis to Conceptualize and Analyze Life History Data. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-020-00252-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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22
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Sheppard P, Van Winkle Z. Using sequence analysis to test if human life histories are coherent strategies. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2020; 2:e39. [PMID: 37588360 PMCID: PMC10427452 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2020.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Life history theory, a prominent ecological model in biology, is widely used in the human sciences to make predictions about human behaviour. However, its principal assumptions have not been empirically tested. We address this gap with three research questions: (1) do humans exhibit coherent life history strategies; (2) do individuals adopt strategies along a slow-fast continuum; and (3) are socioeconomic circumstances during childhood associated with the pace of the life history strategy that an individual adopts? Data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study is used to reconstruct the life histories of US women including information on puberty, fertility, menopause and death. We introduce a novel methodological approach to evolutionary anthropology, sequence analysis, to assess if human life histories are coherent strategies and how these strategies are patterned. In subsequent analyses we used multinomial logistic regressions to test whether childhood socioeconomic status predicts the life history patterns women follow. Results provide little evidence that humans follow coherent life-history strategies; Wisconsin women are clustered by the number of children they have but not by ages at life events. Socioeconomic status does not predict which cluster women fall into, suggesting that less well-off women do not have higher fertility, as predicted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Sheppard
- School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, 51–53 Banbury Road, OxfordOX2 6PE, UK
| | - Zachary Van Winkle
- Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, 42–43 Park End Street, OxfordOX1 1DJ, UK
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23
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Lynch R, Lummaa V, Briga M, Chapman SN, Loehr J. Child volunteers in a women's paramilitary organization in World War II have accelerated reproductive schedules. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2377. [PMID: 32398652 PMCID: PMC7217904 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15703-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how conditions experienced during development affect reproductive timing is of considerable cross-disciplinary interest. Life-history theory predicts that organisms will accelerate reproduction when future survival is unsure. In humans, this can be triggered by early exposure to mortality. Previous studies, however, have been inconclusive due to several confounds that are also likely to affect reproduction. Here we take advantage of a natural experiment in which a population is temporarily divided by war to analyze how exposure to mortality affects reproduction. Using records of Finnish women in World War II, we find that young girls serving in a paramilitary organization wait less time to reproduce, have shorter inter-birth intervals, and have more children than their non-serving peers or sisters. These results support the hypothesis that exposure to elevated mortality rates during development can result in accelerated reproductive schedules and adds to our understanding of how participation in warfare affects women. Life history theory predicts that females will adjust reproductive timing in response to environmental challenges. Here the authors show that young girls exposed to higher mortality rates during war give birth earlier and more often than their peers who were not exposed to these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - John Loehr
- University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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24
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Snopkowski K, Ziker JP. Sexual initiation among Canadian youth: A model comparison approach of evolutionary hypotheses shows greatest support for extrinsic mortality cues, intergenerational conflict, and early life psychosocial stressors. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2019.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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25
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Međedović J, Kovačević U. Personality as a state-dependent behavior: Do childhood poverty and pregnancy planning moderate the link between personality and fitness? PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2019.109625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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26
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Cognitive Ecology in Humans: The Role of Intelligence in Reproductive Ecology. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-019-00228-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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27
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Life History in a Postconflict Society. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2019; 30:59-70. [DOI: 10.1007/s12110-018-09336-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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28
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Abstract
The assumption that early stress leads to dysregulation and impairment is widespread in developmental science and informs prevailing models (e.g., toxic stress). An alternative evolutionary–developmental approach, which complements the standard emphasis on dysregulation, proposes that early stress may prompt the development of costly but adaptive strategies that promote survival and reproduction under adverse conditions. In this review, we survey this growing theoretical and empirical literature, highlighting recent developments and outstanding questions. We review concepts of adaptive plasticity and conditional adaptation, introduce the life history framework and the adaptive calibration model, and consider how physiological stress response systems and related neuroendocrine processes may function as plasticity mechanisms. We then address the evolution of individual differences in susceptibility to the environment, which engenders systematic person–environment interactions in the effects of stress on development. Finally, we discuss stress-mediated regulation of pubertal development as a case study of how an evolutionary–developmental approach can foster theoretical integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce J. Ellis
- Department of Psychology and Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
| | - Marco Del Giudice
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
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29
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Čvorović J. Influence of maternal height on children's health status and mortality: A cross-sectional study in poor Roma communities in rural Serbia. HOMO-JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE HUMAN BIOLOGY 2018; 69:357-363. [PMID: 30514571 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchb.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
To determine possible variations in children's health status and mortality associated with variations in maternal stature, an anthropometric and demographic study was conducted in a Roma population of poor socio-economic status in rural Serbia. Data were collected during several years of anthropological fieldwork. The sample consisted of 691 women, ranging from 16 to 80 years of age. In addition to stature, Roma women's demographics, reproductive history, reproductive outcomes and health status of their children were collected. The results provide evidence of a significant association between mother's stature and their children's health and mortality, with a shorter mother's stature predisposing children to poor health and survival outcomes. The findings could prompt development of a definition of short stature among Roma women to evaluate the risk based on height distribution among the general Roma population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Čvorović
- Institute of Ethnography, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade 11 000, Serbia.
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30
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Gomes CS, Pirkle CM, Barbosa JFS, Vafaei A, Câmara SMA, Guerra RO. Age at First Birth, Parity and History of Hysterectomy Are Associated to Frailty Status: Cross-Sectional Analysis from the International Mobility in Aging Study -Imias. J Cross Cult Gerontol 2018; 33:337-354. [DOI: 10.1007/s10823-018-9360-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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31
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Međedović J. Testing the state-dependent behavior models in humans: Environmental harshness moderates the link between personality and mating. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2017.12.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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32
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Early life conditions, reproductive and sexuality-related life history outcomes among human males: A systematic review and meta-analysis. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2017.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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33
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Azcorra H, Rodríguez L, Datta Banik S, Bogin B, Dickinson F, Varela-Silva MI. Living conditions and change in age of menarche in adult Maya mothers and daughters from Yucatan, Mexico. Am J Hum Biol 2017; 30. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Azcorra
- Departamento de Ecología Humana, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional; Antigua carretera a Progreso Km 6, C.P; Mérida Yucatán, 97310 México
| | - Luis Rodríguez
- Facultad de Matemáticas; Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán; Mérida Yucatán México
| | - Sudip Datta Banik
- Departamento de Ecología Humana, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional; Antigua carretera a Progreso Km 6, C.P; Mérida Yucatán, 97310 México
| | - Barry Bogin
- Centre for Global Health and Human Development, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences; Loughborough University, LE11 3TU; United Kingdom
| | - Federico Dickinson
- Departamento de Ecología Humana, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional; Antigua carretera a Progreso Km 6, C.P; Mérida Yucatán, 97310 México
| | - Maria Ines Varela-Silva
- Centre for Global Health and Human Development, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences; Loughborough University, LE11 3TU; United Kingdom
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34
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Nelson RG. Reimaging Process in 2016: Deliberations on a Year of Integrative Slow Science in Biological Anthropology. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.12869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robin G. Nelson
- Department of Anthropology; Santa Clara University; Santa Clara CA 95053
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35
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken K Ong
- MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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36
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Richardson GB, Dariotis JK, Lai MHC. From Environment to Mating Competition and Super-K in a Predominantly Urban Sample of Young Adults. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 15:1474704916670165. [PMID: 28152622 PMCID: PMC6349591 DOI: 10.1177/1474704916670165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research suggests human life history strategy (LHS) may be subsumed by multiple dimensions, including mating competition and Super-K, rather than one. In this study, we test whether a two-dimensional structure best fit data from a predominantly urban sample of young adults ages 18-24. We also test whether latent life history dimensions are associated with environmental harshness and unpredictability as predicted by life history theory. Results provide evidence that a two-dimensional model best fit the data. Furthermore, a moderate inverse residual correlation between mating competition and Super-K was found, consistent with a life history trade-off. Our findings suggest that parental socioeconomic status may enhance investment in mating competition, that harshness might persist into young adulthood as an important correlate of LHS, and that unpredictability may not have significant effects in young adulthood. These findings further support the contention that human LHS is multidimensional and environmental effects on LHS are more complex than previously suggested. The model presented provides a parsimonious explanation of an array of human behaviors and traits and can be used to inform public health initiatives, particularly with respect to the potential impact of environmental interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- George B. Richardson
- School of Human Services, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Jacinda K. Dariotis
- School of Education, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, Evaluation Services Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mark H. C. Lai
- School of Education, College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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37
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Black CJ, Figueredo AJ, Jacobs WJ. Substance, History, and Politics. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 15:1474704916670402. [PMID: 28152629 PMCID: PMC10367485 DOI: 10.1177/1474704916670402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2016] [Revised: 08/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/21/2016] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this article is to examine the relations between two approaches to the measurement of life history (LH) strategies: A traditional approach, termed here the biodemographic approach, measures developmental characteristics like birthweight, gestation length, interbirth intervals, pubertal timing, and sexual debut, and a psychological approach measures a suite of cognitive and behavioral traits such as altruism, sociosexual orientation, personality, mutualism, familial relationships, and religiosity. The biodemographic approach also tends not to invoke latent variables, whereas the psychological approach typically relies heavily upon them. Although a large body of literature supports both approaches, they are largely separate. This review examines the history and relations between biodemographic and psychological measures of LH, which remain murky at best. In doing so, we consider basic questions about the nature of LH strategies: What constitutes LH strategy (or perhaps more importantly, what does not constitute LH strategy)? What is gained or lost by including psychological measures in LH research? Must these measures remain independent or should they be used in conjunction as complementary tools to test tenets of LH theory? Although definitive answers will linger, we hope to catalyze an explicit discussion among LH researchers and to provoke novel research avenues that combine the strengths each approach brings to this burgeoning field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candace J. Black
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | - W. Jake Jacobs
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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McAllister LS, Pepper GV, Virgo S, Coall DA. The evolved psychological mechanisms of fertility motivation: hunting for causation in a sea of correlation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150151. [PMID: 27022078 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cultural, ecological, familial and physiological factors consistently influence fertility behaviours, however, the proximate psychological mechanisms underlying fertility decisions in humans are poorly understood. Understanding the psychological mechanisms underlying human fertility may illuminate the final processes by which some of these known predictors have their influence. To date, research into the psychological mechanisms underlying fertility has been fragmented. Aspects of reproductive psychology have been examined by researchers in a range of fields, but the findings have not been systematically integrated in one review. We provide such a review, examining current theories and research on psychological mechanisms of fertility. We examine the methods and populations used in the research, as well as the disciplines and theoretical perspectives from which the work has come. Much of the work that has been done to date is methodologically limited to examining correlations between ecological, social and economic factors and fertility. We propose, and support with examples, the use of experimental methods to differentiate causal factors from correlates. We also discuss weaknesses in the experimental research, including limited work with non-WEIRD (western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa S McAllister
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Gillian V Pepper
- Evolutionary Demography Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Sandra Virgo
- Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, The Baddiley-Clark Building, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4AX, UK
| | - David A Coall
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
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Coall DA, Tickner M, McAllister LS, Sheppard P. Developmental influences on fertility decisions by women: an evolutionary perspective. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150146. [PMID: 27022073 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental environments are crucial for shaping our life course. Elements of the early social and biological environments have been consistently associated with reproduction in humans. To date, a strong focus has been on the relationship between early stress, earlier menarche and first child birth in women. These associations, found predominately in high-income countries, have been usefully interpreted within life-history theory frameworks. Fertility, on the other hand--a missing link between an individual's early environment, reproductive strategy and fitness--has received little attention. Here, we synthesize this literature by examining the associations between early adversity, age at menarche and fertility and fecundity in women. We examine the evidence that potential mechanisms such as birth weight, childhood body composition, risky health behaviours and developmental influences on attractiveness link the early environment and fecundity and fertility. The evidence that menarche is associated with fertility and fecundity is good. Currently, owing to the small number of correlational studies and mixed methodologies, the evidence that early adversity predicts fecundity and fertility is not conclusive. This area of research is in its infancy; studies examining early adversity and adult fertility decisions that can also examine likely biological, social and psychological pathways present opportunities for future fertility research.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Coall
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - M Tickner
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia
| | - L S McAllister
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - P Sheppard
- Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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Tondo L, Pinna M, Serra G, De Chiara L, Baldessarini RJ. Age at menarche predicts age at onset of major affective and anxiety disorders. Eur Psychiatry 2016; 39:80-85. [PMID: 27992810 DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2016] [Revised: 07/31/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Menarche age has been associated inconsistently with the occurrence, timing or severity of major depressive disorder (MDD), but rarely studied in women with bipolar (BDs) or anxiety disorders. METHODS We investigated women patients at a Sardinian mood disorder center for associations of age at menarche with age at illness onset for major affective or anxiety disorders, year of birth, and other selected factors, using bivariate comparisons and multivariate regression modeling. RESULTS Among women (n=1139) with DSM-IV MDD (n=557), BD-I (n=223), BD-II (n=178), or anxiety disorders (n=181), born in 1904-1998, of mean age 42.9 years, menarche age averaged 12.8 [CI: 12.7-12.9] years. Illness onset age averaged 30.9 [30.1-31.8] years, ranking: BD-I, 25.8; anxiety disorders, 28.0; BD-II, 30.3; MDD, 34.1 years. Menarche age declined secularly over birth years, and was associated with younger illness-onset, having no or fewer siblings, more psychiatrically ill first-degree relatives, living in rural environments, being suicidal, substance abuse, and being unemployed. Earlier menarche and earlier illness-onset were significantly associated for onset age groups of ≤ 20, 20-39, and > 40 years. Menarche age versus diagnosis ranked: BD-II<BD-I<anxiety disorders<MDD. CONCLUSIONS Age at menarche in Sardinia, as elsewhere, has declined over the past decades. It was strongly associated with age at onset of bipolar and anxiety, as well as major depressive disorders across the age range, suggesting sustained effects of biological maturational factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Tondo
- International Consortium for Psychotic & Mood Disorders Research, Mailman Research Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; Lucio Bini Mood Disorder Centers, Cagliari and Rome, Italy.
| | - M Pinna
- Lucio Bini Mood Disorder Centers, Cagliari and Rome, Italy
| | - G Serra
- International Consortium for Psychotic & Mood Disorders Research, Mailman Research Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; NESMOS Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University (Sapienza) of Rome, Rome, Italy; Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS Children Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - L De Chiara
- NESMOS Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University (Sapienza) of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - R J Baldessarini
- International Consortium for Psychotic & Mood Disorders Research, Mailman Research Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Early-life disease exposure and associations with adult survival, cause of death, and reproductive success in preindustrial humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:8951-6. [PMID: 27457937 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1519820113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
A leading hypothesis proposes that increased human life span since 1850 has resulted from decreased exposure to childhood infections, which has reduced chronic inflammation and later-life mortality rates, particularly from cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer. Early-life cohort mortality rate often predicts later-life survival in humans, but such associations could arise from factors other than disease exposure. Additionally, the impact of early-life disease exposure on reproduction remains unknown, and thus previous work ignores a major component of fitness through which selection acts upon life-history strategy. We collected data from seven 18th- and 19th-century Finnish populations experiencing naturally varying mortality and fertility levels. We quantified early-life disease exposure as the detrended child mortality rate from infectious diseases during an individual's first 5 y, controlling for important social factors. We found no support for an association between early-life disease exposure and all-cause mortality risk after age 15 or 50. We also found no link between early-life disease exposure and probability of death specifically from cardiovascular disease, stroke, or cancer. Independent of survival, there was no evidence to support associations between early-life disease exposure and any of several aspects of reproductive performance, including lifetime reproductive success and age at first birth, in either males or females. Our results do not support the prevailing assertion that exposure to infectious diseases in early life has long-lasting associations with later-life all-cause mortality risk or mortality putatively linked to chronic inflammation. Variation in adulthood conditions could therefore be the most likely source of recent increases in adult life span.
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Lynch RF. Parents face quantity-quality trade-offs between reproduction and investment in offspring in Iceland. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160087. [PMID: 27293787 PMCID: PMC4892449 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
How to optimally allocate time, energy and investment in an effort to maximize one's reproductive success is a fundamental problem faced by all organisms. This effort is complicated when the production of each additional offspring dilutes the total resources available for parental investment. Although a quantity-quality trade-off between producing and investing in offspring has long been assumed in evolutionary biology, testing it directly in humans is difficult, partly owing to the long generation time of our species. Using data from an Icelandic genealogy (Íslendingabók) over two centuries, I address this issue and analyse the quantity-quality trade-off in humans. I demonstrate that the primary impact of parents on the fitness of their children is the result of resources and or investment, but not genes. This effect changes significantly across time, in response to environmental conditions. Overall, increasing reproduction has negative fitness consequences on offspring, such that each additional sibling reduces an individual's average lifespan and lifetime reproductive success. This analysis provides insights into the evolutionary conflict between producing and investing in children while also shedding light on some of the causes of the demographic transition.
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Sear R, Lawson DW, Kaplan H, Shenk MK. Understanding variation in human fertility: what can we learn from evolutionary demography? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150144. [PMID: 27022071 PMCID: PMC4822424 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Decades of research on human fertility has presented a clear picture of how fertility varies, including its dramatic decline over the last two centuries in most parts of the world. Why fertility varies, both between and within populations, is not nearly so well understood. Fertility is a complex phenomenon, partly physiologically and partly behaviourally determined, thus an interdisciplinary approach is required to understand it. Evolutionary demographers have focused on human fertility since the 1980s. The first wave of evolutionary demographic research made major theoretical and empirical advances, investigating variation in fertility primarily in terms of fitness maximization. Research focused particularly on variation within high-fertility populations and small-scale subsistence societies and also yielded a number of hypotheses for why fitness maximization seems to break down as fertility declines during the demographic transition. A second wave of evolutionary demography research on fertility is now underway, paying much more attention to the cultural and psychological mechanisms underpinning fertility. It is also engaging with the complex, multi-causal nature of fertility variation, and with understanding fertility in complex modern and transitioning societies. Here, we summarize the history of evolutionary demographic work on human fertility, describe the current state of the field, and suggest future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Sear
- Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - David W Lawson
- Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Mary K Shenk
- Department of Anthropology and Life Sciences & Society Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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