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Brown ER, Gettler LT, Rosenbaum S. Effects of social environments on male primate HPG and HPA axis developmental programming. Dev Psychobiol 2024; 66:e22491. [PMID: 38698633 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22491] [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: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Developmental plasticity is particularly important for humans and other primates because of our extended period of growth and maturation, during which our phenotypes adaptively respond to environmental cues. The hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes are likely to be principal targets of developmental "programming" given their roles in coordinating fitness-relevant aspects of the phenotype, including sexual development, adult reproductive and social strategies, and internal responses to the external environment. In social animals, including humans, the social environment is believed to be an important source of cues to which these axes may adaptively respond. The effects of early social environments on the HPA axis have been widely studied in humans, and to some extent, in other primates, but there are still major gaps in knowledge specifically relating to males. There has also been relatively little research examining the role that social environments play in developmental programming of the HPG axis or the HPA/HPG interface, and what does exist disproportionately focuses on females. These topics are likely understudied in males in part due to the difficulty of identifying developmental milestones in males relative to females and the general quiescence of the HPG axis prior to maturation. However, there are clear indicators that early life social environments matter for both sexes. In this review, we examine what is known about the impact of social environments on HPG and HPA axis programming during male development in humans and nonhuman primates, including the role that epigenetic mechanisms may play in this programming. We conclude by highlighting important next steps in this research area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ella R Brown
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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2
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Ingold T. Evolution without Inheritance. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1086/722437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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3
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Urlacher SS, Kim EY, Luan T, Young LJ, Adjetey B. Minimally invasive biomarkers in human and non-human primate evolutionary biology: Tools for understanding variation and adaptation. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23811. [PMID: 36205445 PMCID: PMC9787651 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of minimally invasive biomarkers (MIBs - physiological biomarkers obtained from minimally invasive sample types) has expanded rapidly in science and medicine over the past several decades. The MIB approach is a methodological strength in the field of human and non-human primate evolutionary biology (HEB). Among humans and our closest relatives, MIBs provide unique opportunities to document phenotypic variation and to operationalize evolutionary hypotheses. AIMS This paper overviews the use of MIBs in HEB. Our objectives are to (1) highlight key research topics which successfully implement MIBs, (2) identify promising yet under-investigated areas of MIB application, and (3) discuss current challenges in MIB research, with suggestions for advancing the field. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS A range of MIBs are used to investigate focal topics in HEB, including energetics and life history variation/evolution, developmental plasticity, and social status and dominance relationships. Nonetheless, we identify gaps in existing MIB research on traits such as physical growth and gut function that are central to the field. Several challenges remain for HEB research using MIBs, including the need for additional biomarkers and methods of assessment, robust validations, and approaches that are standardized across labs and research groups. Importantly, researchers must provide better support for adaptation and fitness effects in hypothesis testing (e.g., by obtaining complementary measures of energy expenditure, demonstrating redundancy of function, and performing lifetime/longitudinal analyses). We point to continued progress in the use of MIBs in HEB to better understand the past, present, and future of humans and our closest primate relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel S. Urlacher
- Department of AnthropologyBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
- Child and Brain Development ProgramCIFARTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Elizabeth Y. Kim
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
- Department of BiologyBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | - Tiffany Luan
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | - Lauren J. Young
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | - Brian Adjetey
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
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4
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An expanded "staying alive" theory (SAT) underplays complexity in Homo sapiens. Behav Brain Sci 2022; 45:e136. [PMID: 35875953 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x22000449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The target article takes myriad human female patterns and aligns them as a unit emerging from an expanded version of "staying alive" theory (SAT). Females and males do differ, however, to treat the complexity of human response to threats as an explicit, evolved sexually dimorphic package is not reflective of current knowledge regarding health, sex/gender, and behavior in Homo sapiens.
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5
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Evidence for an adolescent sensitive period to family experiences influencing adult male testosterone production. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2202874119. [PMID: 35639692 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2202874119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
SignificanceTestosterone influences how animals devote energy and time toward reproduction, including opposing demands of mating and competition versus parenting. Reflecting this, testosterone often declines in new fathers and lower testosterone is linked to greater caregiving. Given these roles, there is strong interest in factors that affect testosterone, including early-life experiences. In this multidecade study, Filipino sons whose fathers were present and involved with raising them when they were adolescents had lower testosterone when they later became fathers, compared to sons whose fathers were present but uninvolved or were not coresident. Sons' own parenting behaviors did not explain these patterns. These results connect key social experiences during adolescence to adult testosterone, and point to possible intergenerational effects of parenting style.
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Lew-Levy S, Reckin R, Kissler SM, Pretelli I, Boyette AH, Crittenden AN, Hagen RV, Haas R, Kramer KL, Koster J, O’Brien MJ, Sonoda K, Surovell TA, Stieglitz J, Tucker B, Lavi N, Ellis-Davies K, Davis HE. Socioecology shapes child and adolescent time allocation in twelve hunter-gatherer and mixed-subsistence forager societies. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8054. [PMID: 35577896 PMCID: PMC9110336 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12217-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A key issue distinguishing prominent evolutionary models of human life history is whether prolonged childhood evolved to facilitate learning in a skill- and strength-intensive foraging niche requiring high levels of cooperation. Considering the diversity of environments humans inhabit, children’s activities should also reflect local social and ecological opportunities and constraints. To better understand our species’ developmental plasticity, the present paper compiled a time allocation dataset for children and adolescents from twelve hunter-gatherer and mixed-subsistence forager societies (n = 690; 3–18 years; 52% girls). We investigated how environmental factors, local ecological risk, and men and women’s relative energetic contributions were associated with cross-cultural variation in child and adolescent time allocation to childcare, food production, domestic work, and play. Annual precipitation, annual mean temperature, and net primary productivity were not strongly associated with child and adolescent activity budgets. Increased risk of encounters with dangerous animals and dehydration negatively predicted time allocation to childcare and domestic work, but not food production. Gender differences in child and adolescent activity budgets were stronger in societies where men made greater direct contributions to food production than women. We interpret these findings as suggesting that children and their caregivers adjust their activities to facilitate the early acquisition of knowledge which helps children safely cooperate with adults in a range of social and ecological environments. These findings compel us to consider how childhood may have also evolved to facilitate flexible participation in productive activities in early life.
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Neither environmental unpredictability nor harshness predict reliance on alloparental care among families in Cebu, Philippines. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:743-754. [PMID: 35074026 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Alloparental caregiving is key to humans' highly flexible reproductive strategies. Across species and across societies, alloparental care is more common in harsh and/or unpredictable environments (HUEs). Currently, however, it is unclear whether HUEs predict intra-population variation in alloparental care, or whether early life HUEs might predict later alloparental care use in adulthood, consistent with adaptive developmental plasticity. We test whether harshness measures (socioeconomic status (SES), environmental hygiene, crowding) and unpredictability measures (parental unemployment, paternal absence, household moves) predicted how much alloparental assistance families in Cebu, Philippines received, in a multigenerational study with data collected across four decades. Though worse environmental hygiene predicted more concurrent alloparental care in 1994, we found little evidence that HUEs predict within-population variation in alloparental care in this large-scale, industrialized society. Indeed, less-crowded conditions and higher SES predicted more alloparental care, not less, in the 1980s and in 2014 respectively, while paternal absence in middle childhood predicted less reliance on alloparental care in adulthood. In this cultural context, our results generally do not provide support for the translation of interspecific or intersocietal patterns linking HUEs and alloparental care to intra-population variation in alloparental care, nor for the idea that a reproductive strategy emphasizing alloparental care use may be preceded by early life HUEs.
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8
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Gettler LT, Barr R. Fathers, families, and physiology: Exploring the psychobiological context of fathering. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22267. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.22267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lee T. Gettler
- Department of Anthropology University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana USA
| | - Rachel Barr
- Department of Psychology Georgetown University Washington D.C. USA
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10
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Fathers' care in context: ‘facultative,’ flexible fathers respond to work demands and child age, but not to alloparental help, in Cebu, Philippines. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2021.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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11
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Maternal Cortisol and Paternal Testosterone Correlated with Infant Growth via Mini Puberty. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-021-00175-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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12
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Provenzi L, Lindstedt J, De Coen K, Gasparini L, Peruzzo D, Grumi S, Arrigoni F, Ahlqvist-Björkroth S. The Paternal Brain in Action: A Review of Human Fathers' fMRI Brain Responses to Child-Related Stimuli. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11060816. [PMID: 34202946 PMCID: PMC8233834 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11060816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
As fathers are increasingly involved in childcare, understanding the neurological underpinnings of fathering has become a key research issue in developmental psychobiology research. This systematic review specifically focused on (1) highlighting methodological issues of paternal brain research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and (2) summarizing findings related to paternal brain responses to auditory and visual infant stimuli. Sixteen papers were included from 157 retrieved records. Sample characteristics (e.g., fathers’ and infant’s age, number of kids, and time spent caregiving), neuroimaging information (e.g., technique, task, stimuli, and processing), and main findings were synthesized by two independent authors. Most of the reviewed works used different stimuli and tasks to test fathers’ responses to child visual and/or auditory stimuli. Pre-processing and first-level analyses were performed with standard pipelines. Greater heterogeneity emerged in second-level analyses. Three main cortical networks (mentalization, embodied simulation, and emotion regulation) and a subcortical network emerged linked with fathers’ responses to infants’ stimuli, but additional areas (e.g., frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex) were also responsive to infants’ visual or auditory stimuli. This review suggests that a distributed and complex brain network may be involved in facilitating fathers’ sensitivity and responses to infant-related stimuli. Nonetheless, specific methodological caveats, the exploratory nature of large parts of the literature to date, and the presence of heterogeneous tasks and measures also demonstrate that systematic improvements in study designs are needed to further advance the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livio Provenzi
- Child Psychiatry and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0382-380287
| | - Johanna Lindstedt
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland; (J.L.); (S.A.-B.)
| | - Kris De Coen
- Neonatal Intensive Care Department, University Hospital of Ghent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Linda Gasparini
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Università di Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Denis Peruzzo
- Neuroimaging Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (D.P.); (F.A.)
| | - Serena Grumi
- Child Psychiatry and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Filippo Arrigoni
- Neuroimaging Lab, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. Medea, 23842 Bosisio Parini, Italy; (D.P.); (F.A.)
| | - Sari Ahlqvist-Björkroth
- Department of Psychology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Turku, 20500 Turku, Finland; (J.L.); (S.A.-B.)
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13
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DuBois LZ, Shattuck-Heidorn H. Challenging the binary: Gender/sex and the bio-logics of normalcy. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 33:e23623. [PMID: 34096131 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We are witnessing renewed debates regarding definitions and boundaries of human gender/sex, where lines of genetics, gonadal hormones, and secondary sex characteristics are drawn to defend strict binary categorizations, with attendant implications for the acceptability and limits of gender identity and diversity. AIMS Many argue for the need to recognize the entanglement of gender/sex in humans and the myriad ways that gender experience becomes biology; translating this theory into practice in human biology research is essential. Biological anthropology is well poised to contribute to these societal conversations and debates. To do this effectively, a reconsideration of our own conceptions of gender/sex, gender identity, and sexuality is necessary. METHODS In this article, we discuss biological variation associated with gender/sex and propose ways forward to ensure we are engaging with gender/sex diversity. We base our analysis in the concept of "biological normalcy," which allows consideration of the relationships between statistical distributions and normative views. We address the problematic reliance on binary categories, the utilization of group means to represent typical biologies, and document ways in which binary norms reinforce stigma and inequality regarding gender/sex, gender identity, and sexuality. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS We conclude with guidelines and methodological suggestions for how to engage gender/sex and gender identity in research. Our goal is to contribute a framework that all human biologists can use, not just those who work with gender or sexually diverse populations. We hope that in bringing this perspective to bear in human biology, that novel ideas and applications will emerge from within our own discipline.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Zachary DuBois
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Gettler LT, Kuo PX, Sarma MS, Trumble BC, Burke Lefever JE, Braungart-Rieker JM. Fathers' oxytocin responses to first holding their newborns: Interactions with testosterone reactivity to predict later parenting behavior and father-infant bonds. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1384-1398. [PMID: 33860940 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about human fathers' physiology near infants' births. This may represent a period during which paternal psychobiological axes are sensitive to fathers' new experiences of interacting with their newborns and that can provide insights on how individual differences in fathers' biology relate to post-partum parenting. Drawing on a sample of men in South Bend, IN (U.S.), we report results from a longitudinal study of fathers' oxytocin, cortisol, and testosterone (N = 211) responses to their first holding of their infants on the day of birth and men's reported caregiving and father-infant bonding at 2-4 months post-partum (N = 114). First-time fathers' oxytocin was higher following first holding of their newborns, compared to their pre-holding levels. Contrasting with prior results, fathers' percentage change in oxytocin did not differ based on skin-to-skin or standard holding. Drawing on psychobiological frameworks, we modeled the interactions for oxytocin reactivity with testosterone and cortisol reactivity, respectively, in predicting father-infant outcomes months later. We found significant cross-over interactions for (oxytocin × testosterone) in predicting fathers' later post-partum involvement and bonding. Specifically, we found that fathers whose testosterone declined during holding reported greater post-partum play if their oxytocin increased, compared to fathers who experienced increases in both hormones. We also observed a similar non-significant interaction for (oxytocin × cortisol) in predicting fathers' post-partum play. Fathers whose testosterone declined during holding also reported less involvement in direct caregiving and lower father-infant bonding if their oxytocin decreased but greater direct care and bonding if their testosterone increased and oxytocin decreased. The results inform our understanding of the developmental time course of men's physiological responsiveness to father-infant interaction and its relevance to later fathering behavior and family relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.,Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.,William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA
| | - Patty X Kuo
- Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | - Julia M Braungart-Rieker
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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15
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Grumi S, Saracino A, Volling BL, Provenzi L. A systematic review of human paternal oxytocin: Insights into the methodology and what we know so far. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:1330-1344. [PMID: 33694219 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
With the consolidation of fathers' engagement in caregiving, understanding the neuroendocrine and hormonal mechanisms underlying fatherhood becomes a relevant topic. Oxytocin (OT) has been linked with maternal bonding and caregiving, but less is known about the role of OT in human fatherhood and paternal caregiving. A systematic review of methods and findings of previous OT research in human fathers was carried. The literature search on PubMed and Scopus yielded 133 records. Twenty-four studies were included and analyzed. Significant variability emerged in OT methodology, including laboratory tasks, assessment methods, and outcome measures. Fathers' OT levels appear to increase after childbirth. OT was significantly correlated with less hostility and with the quality of paternal physical stimulation in play interactions, but not with paternal sensitivity. Fathers' and children's OT levels were significantly correlated in a limited subset of studies, intriguingly suggesting that cross-generational OT regulation may occur during the early years of life. This study highlights relevant issues and limitations of peripheral OT assessment in human subjects, especially in fathers. Although the study of paternal neuroendocrinology appears promising, coping with these issues requires dedicated efforts and methodological suggestions are provided to guide future advances in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Grumi
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Annalisa Saracino
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Brenda L Volling
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Livio Provenzi
- Child Neurology and Psychiatry Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
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16
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Gutmann M, Nelson RG, Fuentes A. Epidemic Errors in Understanding Masculinity, Maleness, and Violence. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1086/712485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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17
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Fuentes A. Searching for the “Roots” of Masculinity in Primates and the Human Evolutionary Past. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1086/711582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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18
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Corpuz R, D'Alessandro S, Collom GKS. The postnatal testosterone rebound in first-time fathers and the quality and quantity of paternal care. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 63:1415-1427. [PMID: 33274434 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In human males, testosterone (T) decreases in the period following the birth of offspring. This decline has been widely interpreted as a facultative neuroendocrine response that facilitates parenting effort. Conversely, research on if (or when) this decline in T would be followed by an eventual recovery and subsequent shift away from parenting effort is lacking. In a U.S. community sample of 225 males transitioning to first-time fatherhood, we measured T at three occasions: third trimester, infant 3 months postnatal, and infant 9-10 months postnatal. Using a piecewise latent growth curve model (GCM), we detected a T rebound from when infants were 3 months old to when infants were 9-10 months old. The slope of this rebound was able to predict paternal care using two distinct measures: (a) an experience sampling method (ESM) that gathered data on paternal time allocation over the course of the study period and (b) independent coders rating fathers for the quality of paternal care during a structured task designed to elicit an infant fear response. As predicted, the more accelerated one's T rebound (slope), the less time fathers invested in their infants across the study period. However, we found a positive relationship between T rebound and quality of paternal care during a challenging activity. Discussion will focus on nuanced reasons that contribute to these findings as well as speculate on the ultimate function of a human paternal T rebound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randy Corpuz
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, USA
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19
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Kohrt BA, Ottman K, Panter-Brick C, Konner M, Patel V. Why we heal: The evolution of psychological healing and implications for global mental health. Clin Psychol Rev 2020; 82:101920. [PMID: 33126037 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Why do humans heal one another? Evolutionary psychology has advanced our understanding of why humans suffer psychological distress and mental illness. However, to date, the evolutionary origins of what drives humans to alleviate the suffering of others has received limited attention. Therefore, we draw upon evolutionary theory to assess why humans psychologically support one another, focusing on the interpersonal regulation of emotions that shapes how humans heal and console one another when in psychosocial distress. To understand why we engage in psychological healing, we review the evolution of cooperation among social species and the roles of emotional contagion, empathy, and self-regulation. We discuss key aspects of human biocultural evolution that have contributed to healing behaviors: symbolic logic including language, complex social networks, and the long period of childhood that necessitates identifying and responding to others in distress. However, both biological and cultural evolution also have led to social context when empathy and consoling are impeded. Ultimately, by understanding the evolutionary processes shaping why humans psychologically do or do not heal one another, we can improve our current approaches in global mental health and uncover new opportunities to improve the treatment of mental illness across cultures and context around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon A Kohrt
- Division of Global Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Katherine Ottman
- Division of Global Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Catherine Panter-Brick
- Jackson Institute of Global Affairs, Yale University, New Haven, and Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, USA
| | - Melvin Konner
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, USA
| | - Vikram Patel
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, and Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, USA
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20
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Gettler LT, Lew-Levy S, Sarma MS, Miegakanda V, Boyette AH. Sharing and caring: Testosterone, fathering, and generosity among BaYaka foragers of the Congo Basin. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15422. [PMID: 32963277 PMCID: PMC7508877 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70958-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans are rare among mammals in exhibiting paternal care and the capacity for broad hyper-cooperation, which were likely critical to the evolutionary emergence of human life history. In humans and other species, testosterone is often a mediator of life history trade-offs between mating/competition and parenting. There is also evidence that lower testosterone men may often engage in greater prosocial behavior compared to higher testosterone men. Given the evolutionary importance of paternal care and heightened cooperation to human life history, human fathers' testosterone may be linked to these two behavioral domains, but they have not been studied together. We conducted research among highly egalitarian Congolese BaYaka foragers and compared them with their more hierarchical Bondongo fisher-farmer neighbors. Testing whether BaYaka men's testosterone was linked to locally-valued fathering roles, we found that fathers who were seen as better community sharers had lower testosterone than less generous men. BaYaka fathers who were better providers also tended to have lower testosterone. In both BaYaka and Bondongo communities, men in marriages with greater conflict had higher testosterone. The current findings from BaYaka fathers point to testosterone as a psychobiological correlate of cooperative behavior under ecological conditions with evolutionarily-relevant features in which mutual aid and sharing of resources help ensure survival and community health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, 244 Corbett Family Hall, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
- William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, USA.
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, 244 Corbett Family Hall, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Valchy Miegakanda
- Institut National de Santé Publique, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Adam H Boyette
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Kim THM, Delahunty-Pike A, Campbell-Yeo M. Effect of Fathers' Presence and Involvement in Newborn Care in the NICU on Mothers' Symptoms of Postpartum Depression. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs 2020; 49:452-463. [PMID: 32663437 DOI: 10.1016/j.jogn.2020.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) and examine how fathers' presence and involvement in the care of their newborns affect symptoms of PPD within the first 2 weeks after birth among mothers with newborns in the NICU. DESIGN Observational cohort study. SETTING Open-bay, 40-bed, tertiary level NICU in Eastern Canada. PARTICIPANTS Mothers (N = 105) of newborns who were anticipated to survive and required more than 5 days of hospitalization in the NICU. METHODS Participants completed the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) 14 days after they gave birth. They kept daily diaries to record the amount of time that fathers spent by the newborns' bedsides (i.e., presence) and actively caring for their newborns (i.e., involvement such as skin to skin). Participants completed daily diaries from the time of enrollment in the study until their newborns were discharged home. We analyzed the data using linear regression; score on the PDSS was the dependent variable, and fathers' presence and involvement were the independent variables. We adjusted for covariates. RESULTS The prevalence of positive screening for symptoms of major PPD was 24.1% (n = 20), and the prevalence of significant symptoms of PPD was 27.7% (n = 23). Participants reported that fathers were present in the NICU an average of 3.8 hours per day and were actively involved with their newborns 53% of the time. Fathers' involvement was significantly associated with lower scores on the PDSS (adjusted β = -3.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] [-6.10, -1.60]). A history of anxiety was significantly associated with greater scores on the PDSS (adjusted β = 12.06, 95% CI [2.07, 22.05]). Maternal age and income less than $50,000 CAD were marginally associated with greater scores on the PDSS (adjusted β = -0.86, 95% CI [-1.77, 0.05] and adjusted β = 10.69, 95% CI [-0.73, 22.11], respectively). The overall explained variance in the PDSS scores with the independent variables was R2 = 0.35. CONCLUSION Fathers' involvement in the care of their newborns in the NICU was significantly associated with fewer symptoms of PPD among mothers. We recommend research with targeted interventions to promote fathers' involvement in the NICU to potentially mitigate the symptoms of PPD among mothers of newborns in the NICU.
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22
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Kuzawa CW, Adair L, Bechayda SA, Borja JRB, Carba DB, Duazo PL, Eisenberg DTA, Georgiev AV, Gettler LT, Lee NR, Quinn EA, Rosenbaum S, Rutherford JN, Ryan CP, McDade TW. Evolutionary life history theory as an organising framework for cohort studies: insights from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Ann Hum Biol 2020; 47:94-105. [PMID: 32429766 DOI: 10.1080/03014460.2020.1742787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
By tracking a group of individuals through time, cohort studies provide fundamental insights into the developmental time course and causes of health and disease. Evolutionary life history theory seeks to explain patterns of growth, development, reproduction and senescence, and inspires a range of hypotheses that are testable using the longitudinal data from cohort studies. Here we review two decades of life history theory-motivated work conducted in collaboration with the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), a birth cohort study that enrolled more than 3000 pregnant women in the Philippines in 1983 and has since followed these women, their offspring and grandoffspring. This work has provided evidence that reproduction carries "costs" to cellular maintenance functions, potentially speeding senescence, and revealed an unusual form of genetic plasticity in which the length of telomeres inherited across generations is influenced by reproductive timing in paternal ancestors. Men in Cebu experience hormonal and behavioural changes in conjunction with changes in relationship and fatherhood status that are consistent with predictions based upon other species that practice bi-parental care. The theoretical expectation that early life cues of mortality or environmental unpredictability will motivate a "fast" life history strategy are confirmed for behavioural components of reproductive decision making, but not for maturational tempo, while our work points to a broader capacity for early life developmental calibration of systems like immunity, reproductive biology and metabolism. Our CLHNS findings illustrate the power of life history theory as an integrative, lifecourse framework to guide longitudinal studies of human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Linda Adair
- Department of Nutrition and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sonny A Bechayda
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | | | - Delia B Carba
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Paulita L Duazo
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Dan T A Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology and Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Nanette R Lee
- USC-Office of Population Studies Foundation, University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
| | - Elizabeth A Quinn
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University, in St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Julienne N Rutherford
- Department of Women, Children, and Family Health Science, College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Calen P Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Thomas W McDade
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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23
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Corpuz R, Bugental D. Life history and individual differences in male testosterone: Mixed evidence for early environmental calibration of testosterone response to first-time fatherhood. Horm Behav 2020; 120:104684. [PMID: 31945323 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Male testosterone (T) decreases in response to childbirth. Longitudinal support for this has come from samples across cultures. In this study, we look at individual differences in this phenomenon. Utilizing a sample of U.S. fathers, we employ life history theory to investigate the influence of a father's early experience on his neuroendocrine response to fatherhood. We conducted three home visits (n = 226 fathers) from the third trimester of pregnancy to when infants were 10 months old. In this sample, T declined from the third trimester of (a partner's) pregnancy to the early months of the postnatal period. T recovered to pre-birth levels by the time infants reached 10 months old. We did not find any evidence that one's subjective experience of their early environment could account for any meaningful variability in T calibration. Objective, "event" measures of early harshness (i.e., death of a sibling/friend) and unpredictability (i.e., parent upheaval) each uniquely predicted a younger age of sexual debut. Neither harshness nor unpredictability had any (direct or indirect) effects on T calibration. Age of sexual debut did predict the rate of T recovery from 3 to 10 months postnatal. The younger one's sexual debut, the more accelerated their T ascent during this period. We discuss the potential reasons for, and implications of our mixed results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randy Corpuz
- Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, United States of America.
| | - Daphne Bugental
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, United States of America
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24
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Stower RE, Lee AJ, McIntosh TL, Sidari MJ, Sherlock JM, Dixson BJW. Mating Strategies and the Masculinity Paradox: How Relationship Context, Relationship Status, and Sociosexuality Shape Women's Preferences for Facial Masculinity and Beardedness. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2020; 49:809-820. [PMID: 31016490 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-019-1437-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 03/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
According to the dual mating strategy model, in short-term mating contexts women should forego paternal investment qualities in favor of mates with well-developed secondary sexual characteristics and dominant behavioral displays. We tested whether this model explains variation in women's preferences for facial masculinity and beardedness in male faces. Computer-generated composites that had been morphed to appear ± 50% masculine were rated by 671 heterosexual women (M age = 31.72 years, SD = 6.43) for attractiveness when considering them as a short-term partner, long-term partner, a co-parent, or a friend. They then completed the Revised Sociosexual Inventory (SOI-R) to determine their sexual openness on dimensions of desire, behavior, and attitudes. Results showed that women's preferences were strongest for average facial masculinity, followed by masculinized faces, with feminized faces being least attractive. In contrast to past research, facial masculinity preferences were stronger when judging for co-parenting partners than for short-term mates. Facial masculinity preferences were also positively associated with behavioral SOI, negatively with desire, and were unrelated to global or attitudinal SOI. Women gave higher ratings for full beards than clean-shaven faces. Preferences for beards were higher for co-parenting and long-term relationships than short-term relationships, although these differences were not statistically significant. Preferences for facial hair were positively associated with global and attitudinal SOI, but were unrelated to behavioral SOI and desire. Although further replication is necessary, our findings indicate that sexual openness is associated with women's preferences for men's facial hair and suggest variation in the association between sociosexuality and women's facial masculinity preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E Stower
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Anthony J Lee
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK
| | - Toneya L McIntosh
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Morgan J Sidari
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - James M Sherlock
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Barnaby J W Dixson
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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25
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Volling BL, Cabrera NJ, Feinberg ME, Jones DE, McDaniel BT, Liu S, Almeida D, Lee JK, Schoppe-Sullivan SJ, Feng X, Gerhardt ML, Dush CMK, Stevenson MM, Safyer P, Gonzalez R, Lee JY, Piskernik B, Ahnert L, Karberg E, Malin J, Kuhns C, Fagan J, Kaufman R, Dyer WJ, Parke RD, Cookston JT. Advancing Research and Measurement on Fathering and Child Development. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 2019; 84:7-160. [PMID: 31034620 DOI: 10.1111/mono.12404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Fathers are more than social accidents. Research has demonstrated that fathers matter to children's development. Despite noted progress, challenges remain on how best to conceptualize and assess fathering and father-child relationships. The current monograph is the result of an SRCD-sponsored meeting of fatherhood scholars brought together to discuss these challenges and make recommendations for best practices for incorporating fathers in studies on parenting and children's development. The first aim of this monograph was to provide a brief update on the current state of research on fathering and to lay out a developmental ecological systems perspective as a conceptual framework for understanding the different spaces fathers inhabit in their children's lives. Because there is wide variability in fathers' roles, the ecological systems perspective situates fathers, mothers, children, and other caregivers within an evolving network of interrelated social relationships in which children and their parents change over time and space (e.g., residence). The second aim was to present examples of empirical studies conducted by members of the international working group that highlighted different methods, data collection, and statistical analyses used to capture the variability in father-child relationships. The monograph ends with a commentary that elaborates on the ecological systems framework with a discussion of the broader macrosystem and social-contextual influences that impinge on fathers and their children. The collection of articles contributes to research on father-child relationships by advancing theory and presenting varied methods and analysis strategies that assist in understanding the father-child relationship and its impact on child development.
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26
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Meijer WM, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. Challenging the challenge hypothesis on testosterone in fathers: Limited meta-analytic support. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 110:104435. [PMID: 31541914 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
In fathers testosterone levels are suggested to decrease in the context of caregiving, but results seem inconsistent. In a meta-analysis including 50 study outcomes with N = 7,080 male participants we distinguished three domains of research, relating testosterone levels to parental status (Hedges' g = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.35; N = 4,150), parenting quality (Hedges' g = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.24; N = 2,164), and reactivity after exposure to child stimuli (Hedges' g = 0.19, 95% CI: -0.03 to 0.42; N = 766). The sets of study outcomes on reactivity and on parenting quality were both homogeneous. Parental status and (higher) parenting quality were related to lower levels of testosterone, but according to conventional criteria combined effect sizes were small. Moderators did not significantly modify combined effect sizes. Results suggest that publication bias might have inflated the meta-analytic results, and the large effects of pioneering but small and underpowered studies in the domains of males' parental status and parenting quality have not been consistently replicated. Large studies with sufficient statistical power to detect small testosterone effects and, in particular, the moderating effects of the interplay with other endocrine systems and with contextual determinants are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willemijn M Meijer
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg
- Clinical Child & Family Studies, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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27
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Boyette AH, Lew-Levy S, Sarma MS, Valchy M, Gettler LT. Fatherhood, egalitarianism, and child health in two small-scale societies in the Republic of the Congo. Am J Hum Biol 2019; 32:e23342. [PMID: 31750984 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The study goals were to (a) characterize the cultural model of fatherhood among the BaYaka, a community of egalitarian foragers in the Republic of the Congo; (b) test if BaYaka fathers' quality in relation to the cultural model predicts their children's energetic status; and (c) compare the variance in BaYaka children's energetic status to that of children of neighboring Bondongo fisher-farmers, among whom there is less cooperative caregiving, less resource sharing, and greater social inequality. METHODS We used informal interviews to establish the cultural model of fatherhood, which we used to build a peer ranking task to quantify father quality. Children's energetic status was assessed by measuring height, weight, and triceps skinfold thickness. We then tested for associations between father quality scores derived from the ranking task and children's energetic status using ordinary least squares regression. Equality of variance tests were used to compare BaYaka and Bondongo children's energetic statuses. RESULTS The BaYaka described fathers as responsible for acquiring resources and maintaining marital harmony, welcoming others to the community and sharing well with them, and teaching their children about the forest. Agreement on men's quality in these domains was high, but father quality did not significantly predict children's energetic status. BaYaka children had lower variance in energetic status overall compared to Bondongo children. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that the core BaYaka values and practices that maintain egalitarian social relations and distribution of resources help buffer children's health and well-being from variation in their fathers' qualities in culturally valued domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam H Boyette
- Department of Human Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | | | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, Eck Institute for Global Health, William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
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28
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de Vries EE, van der Pol LD, Vermeer HJ, Groeneveld MG, Fiers T, Mesman J. Testosterone and Fathers’ Parenting Unraveled: Links with the Quantity and Quality of Father-Child Interactions. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-019-00118-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Objective
Individual differences in quality of father involvement in caregiving might in part be explained by fathers’ testosterone (T) levels. We examined the links between fathers’ (n = 32) salivary T levels, amount of time spent with their child (12–30 months of age), type of father-child interaction, and fathers’ sensitivity.
Methods
During two home visits, video observations of father-child interactions were conducted to measure fathers’ sensitivity during a challenging and harmonious interaction. Fathers’ saliva was collected several times throughout the day on a working day and on the home visit days, including right before and after each father-child interaction.
Results
Fathers’ T secretion throughout the day was lower on home visit days (i.e., days with a higher amount of time spent with their child) than on a working day. For both challenging and harmonious father-child interactions, mean T levels did not differ before and after father-child interactions. However, individual changes in fathers’ T levels during the father-child interactions did predict fathers’ sensitivity. Specifically, the more T increased during the challenging interaction, or decreased during the harmonious interaction, the more sensitive the father was during that interaction as well as during a subsequent interaction.
Conclusions
Parenting quality is most optimal when fathers’ T system reacts in the expected direction given the context of the father-child interaction, i.e., a T decrease during a harmonious interaction and a T increase during a challenging interaction. Our study underscores the importance of examining the interplay between biology, behavior, and caregiving context in fathers’ parenting.
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29
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Gettler LT, Sarma MS, Lew-Levy S, Bond A, Trumble BC, Boyette AH. Mothers' and fathers' joint profiles for testosterone and oxytocin in a small-scale fishing-farming community: Variation based on marital conflict and paternal contributions. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01367. [PMID: 31385447 PMCID: PMC6749485 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Testosterone and oxytocin are psychobiological mechanisms that interrelate with relationship quality between parents and the quantity and quality of parenting behaviors, thereby affecting child outcomes. Their joint production based on family dynamics has rarely been tested, particularly cross-culturally. METHODS We explored family function and salivary testosterone and oxytocin in mothers and fathers in a small-scale, fishing-farming society in Republic of the Congo. Fathers ranked one another in three domains of family life pertaining to the local cultural model of fatherhood. RESULTS Fathers who were viewed as better providers had relatively lower oxytocin and higher testosterone than men seen as poorer providers, who had lower testosterone and higher oxytocin. Fathers also had higher testosterone and lower oxytocin in marriages with more conflict, while those who had less marital conflict had reduced testosterone and higher oxytocin. In contrast, mothers in conflicted marriages showed the opposite profiles of relatively lower testosterone and higher oxytocin. Mothers had higher oxytocin and lower testosterone if fathers were uninvolved as direct caregivers, while mothers showed an opposing pattern for the two hormones if fathers were seen as involved with direct care. CONCLUSIONS These results shed new light on parents' dual oxytocin and testosterone profiles in a small-scale society setting and highlight the flexibility of human parental psychobiology when fathers' roles and functions within families differ across cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.,Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.,William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Angela Bond
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.,Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Adam H Boyette
- Thompson Writing Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Leipzig, Germany
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30
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Father involvement in the first year of life: Associations with maternal mental health and child development outcomes in rural Pakistan. Soc Sci Med 2019; 237:112421. [PMID: 31398510 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The contribution of fathers to child development and maternal mental health is increasingly acknowledged, although research on this topic outside of high income countries is limited. Using longitudinal data, we characterized father involvement in a rural setting in Pakistan and investigated the link between father involvement in the first year of life and child development and maternal depression. Data come from the Bachpan study, a birth cohort established in the context of a perinatal depression intervention. Father involvement was mother reported at 3 and 12 months postpartum and covered domains such as playing with or soothing the infant. Child outcomes included growth at 3, 6 and 12 months postpartum, socioemotional development at 6 months (Ages and Stages Questionnaire-socioemotional), and developmental milestones at 12 months (Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, BSID)). Maternal depression was assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum. Roughly 20% of the fathers were temporarily non-resident. Among the rest, most mothers reported that fathers were involved: for example, approximately 40% reported that the father plays with the baby on a typical day. We observed no clear pattern of association between 3-month father involvement and child growth at any time point; however, 12-month father involvement was cross-sectionally inversely associated with child growth. We observed a protective pattern of association between 3-month father involvement and 6-month child socioemotional development. For the BSID domains, while almost all effect estimates suggested a protective association with higher levels of father involvement/father being temporarily non-resident, the magnitude of the estimates was smaller and most 95% confidence intervals crossed the null. Finally, there was a trend toward greater father involvement/being temporary non-resident predicting lower levels of maternal depression. Using longitudinal data, these results provide new evidence about the association between father involvement, and both child development and maternal mental health.
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31
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van der Pol LD, Groeneveld MG, van Berkel SR, Endendijk JJ, Hallers-Haalboom ET, Mesman J. Fathers: The interplay between testosterone levels and self-control in relation to parenting quality. Horm Behav 2019; 112:100-106. [PMID: 30978338 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we examined the potential interaction effect between fathers' basal testosterone levels and their ability to control their impulses in relation to their quality of parenting. Participants included 159 fathers and their preschoolers. Evening and morning salivary samples were analyzed with isotope dilution-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS) to determine basal testosterone (T) levels. During a home-visit, fathers' self-control was measured with a computerized Go/NoGo task, and their sensitivity and respect for child autonomy was observed in a free-play session. We found that higher T levels in the evening were related to less respect for child autonomy, but only in fathers with low self-control. Further, higher T in the evening was related to more sensitive parenting, yet only in fathers with high self-control. These findings indicate that different aspects of fathers' quality of parenting are differently affected by the interaction between T and self-control. Further research is needed to clarify the interplay between fathers' neuro-endocrine system functioning and their trait characteristics in relation to the development of father-child relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Judi Mesman
- Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
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32
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Rosenbaum S, Gettler LT. With a little help from her friends (and family) part II: Non-maternal caregiving behavior and physiology in mammals. Physiol Behav 2019; 193:12-24. [PMID: 29933837 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.12.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The diversity of competing frameworks for explaining the evolution of non-maternal care in mammals (Part I, this issue) reflects the vast range of behaviors and associated outcomes these theories attempt to subsume. Caretaking comprises a wide variety of behavioral domains, and is mediated by an equally large range of physiological systems. In Part II, we provide an overview of how non-maternal care in mammals is expressed, the ways in which it is regulated, and the many effects such care has on both recipients and caretakers. We also discuss the two primary ways in which closer integration of ultimate and proximate levels of explanation can be useful when addressing questions about non-maternal caretaking. Specifically, proximate mechanisms provide important functional clues, and are key to testing theory concerning evolutionary tradeoffs. Finally, we highlight a number of methodological and publication biases that currently shape the literature, which provide opportunities for knowledge advancement in this domain going forward. In this conclusion to our two-part introduction, we provide a broad survey of the behavior and physiology that the contributions to this special issue represent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States; Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, United States.
| | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States; The Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
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33
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Martin MA. Biological Anthropology in 2018: Grounded in Theory, Questioning Contexts, Embracing Innovation. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.13233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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34
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Gettler LT, Kuo PX, Rosenbaum S, Avila JL, McDade TW, Kuzawa CW. Sociosexuality, testosterone, and life history status: prospective associations and longitudinal changes among men in Cebu, Philippines. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2018.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Boyette AH, Lew-Levy S, Sarma MS, Gettler LT. Testosterone, fathers as providers and caregivers, and child health: Evidence from fisher-farmers in the Republic of the Congo. Horm Behav 2019; 107:35-45. [PMID: 30268885 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Males in vertebrate species with biparental care commonly face a life history trade-off between investing in mating versus parenting effort. Among these males, testosterone is frequently elevated during mating and competition and reduced when males help raise offspring. These physiological patterns may be adaptive, increasing males' fitness through investments in young. However, for some species, including humans, indirect parenting often benefits young but can also involve male competition and risk-taking behavior and may be facilitated by elevated testosterone. Despite potential adaptive functions of biological responses to invested fatherhood, few if any mammalian studies have linked fathers' testosterone to offspring outcomes; no studies in humans have. Using data from a small-scale society of fisher-farmers from the Republic of the Congo, we find that fathers who were rated as better providers by their peers had higher testosterone, compared to other fathers in their community. However, children whose fathers had middle-range T compared to fathers with higher or lower levels had better energetic status (higher BMI; greater triceps skinfold thickness). Fathers' indirect and direct care helped to account for these associations between paternal T and children's energetic profiles. Given that human paternal direct and, especially, indirect care are thought to have been important evolutionarily and remain so in many contemporary societies, these findings help to shed light on the facultative nature of human biological responses to fatherhood and the relevance of these factors to children's well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam H Boyette
- Thompson Writing Program, Duke University, Box 90025, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
| | - Sheina Lew-Levy
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane CB2 3RQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, 244 Corbett Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
| | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, 244 Corbett Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA; Eck Institute for Global Health, USA; William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, 244 Corbett Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.
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Kuo PX, Braungart-Rieker JM, Burke Lefever JE, Sarma MS, O'Neill M, Gettler LT. Fathers' cortisol and testosterone in the days around infants' births predict later paternal involvement. Horm Behav 2018; 106:28-34. [PMID: 30165061 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Human paternal behavior is multidimensional, and extant research has yet to delineate how hormone patterns may be related to different dimensions of fathering. Further, although studies vary in their measurement of hormones (i.e., basal or reactivity), it remains unclear whether basal and/or reactivity measures are predictive of different aspects of men's parenting. We examined whether men's testosterone and cortisol predicted fathers' involvement in childcare and play with infants and whether fathers' testosterone and cortisol changed during fathers' first interaction with their newborn. Participants were 298 fathers whose partners gave birth in a UNICEF-designated "baby-friendly" hospital, which encourages fathers to hold their newborns 1 h after birth, after mothers engage in skin-to-skin holding. Salivary testosterone and cortisol were measured before and after fathers' first holding of their newborns. Basal and short-term changes in cortisol and testosterone were analyzed. Fathers were contacted 2-4 months following discharge to complete questionnaires about childcare involvement. Fathers' cortisol decreased during the time they held their newborns on the birthing unit. Fathers' basal testosterone in the immediate postnatal period predicted their greater involvement in childcare. Both basal and reactivity cortisol predicted fathers' greater involvement in childcare and play. Results suggest that reduced basal testosterone is linked with enhanced paternal indirect and direct parenting effort months later, and that higher basal cortisol and increases in cortisol in response to newborn interaction are predictive of greater paternal involvement in childcare and play, also months later. Findings are discussed in the context of predominating theoretical models on parental neuroendocrinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patty X Kuo
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States of America; William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN 46635, United States of America.
| | - Julia M Braungart-Rieker
- William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN 46635, United States of America; Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States of America
| | - Jennifer E Burke Lefever
- William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN 46635, United States of America
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States of America
| | - Molly O'Neill
- Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States of America
| | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States of America; William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN 46635, United States of America; The Eck Institute of Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States of America.
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Rosenbaum S, Gettler LT, McDade TW, Bechayda SS, Kuzawa CW. Does a man's testosterone “rebound” as dependent children grow up, or when pairbonds end? A test in Cebu, Philippines. Am J Hum Biol 2018; 30:e23180. [DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
| | - Lee T. Gettler
- Department of Anthropology University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana
- Eck Institute for Global Health University of Notre Dame Notre Dame Indiana
| | - Thomas W. McDade
- Department of Anthropology Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
| | - Sonny S. Bechayda
- Office of Population Studies University of San Carlos Cebu Philippines
- Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History University of San Carlos Cebu Philippines
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University Evanston Illinois
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Gettler LT, Kuo PX, Bechayda SA. Fatherhood and psychobiology in the Philippines: Perspectives on joint profiles and longitudinal changes of fathers' estradiol and testosterone. Am J Hum Biol 2018; 30:e23150. [PMID: 30251281 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Revised: 04/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Research on the psychobiology of partnering and fathering has focused on testosterone (T), oxytocin, and prolactin (PRL) as mechanisms that potentially mediate life history trade-offs related to those roles. Less is known about other hormones that might be responsive to life history transitions and implicated in fathering, such as estradiol (E2). We examined how E2 changed during the transition to marriage and fatherhood, its correlation with fathers' caregiving, and its joint within-individual production with other hormones (T, PRL). METHODS Data were collected from a total of 913 Filipino men (aged 25.9 years ± 0.3 SD at follow-up) enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study. Morning saliva samples collected at baseline (2005) and follow-up (2009) were assayed for T and E2 (n = 329), dried blood spots from baseline were assayed for PRL. Fathers reported on caregiving in 2009. RESULTS When compared with men who remained single non-fathers over the study period, men who became married residential fathers experienced larger declines in E2. This effect was non-significant when we controlled for longitudinal changes in T. E2 was not significantly related to fathers' caregiving, controlling for T. In cross-sectional analyses for PRL, T, and E2, married residential fathers exhibited within-individual profiles of reduced T and elevated PRL, whereas single non-fathers exhibited the opposite profile of elevated T and reduced PRL. CONCLUSIONS Our findings point to the need for future research to consider the mutually regulatory dynamics and/or combinatorial implications of multiple physiological axes acting within individuals to underpin life history trade-offs and behavioral strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.,The Eck Institute of Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.,William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana.,The Eck Institute of Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
| | - Patty X Kuo
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.,William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana
| | - Sonny Agustin Bechayda
- USC Office of Population Studies Foundation, and Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
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Sarma MS, Kuo PX, Bechayda SA, Kuzawa CW, Gettler LT. Exploring the links between early life and young adulthood social experiences and men's later life psychobiology as fathers. Physiol Behav 2018; 193:82-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.11.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Childhood ecology influences salivary testosterone, pubertal age and stature of Bangladeshi UK migrant men. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1146-1154. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0567-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Cabrera NJ, Volling BL, Barr R. Fathers Are Parents, Too! Widening the Lens on Parenting for Children's Development. CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/cdep.12275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 273] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Abstract
The concept of a 'human nature' or 'human natures' retains a central role in theorizing about the human experience. In Homo sapiens it is clear that we have a suite of capacities generated via our evolutionary past, and present, and a flexible capacity to create and sustain particular kinds of cultures and to be shaped by them. Regardless of whether we label these capacities 'human natures' or not, humans occupy a distinctive niche and an evolutionary approach to examining it is critical. At present we are faced with a few different narratives as to exactly what such an evolutionary approach entails. There is a need for a robust and dynamic theoretical toolkit in order to develop a richer, and more nuanced, understanding of the cognitively sophisticated genus Homo and the diverse sorts of niches humans constructed and occupied across the Pleistocene, Holocene, and into the Anthropocene. Here I review current evolutionary approaches to 'human nature', arguing that we benefit from re-framing our investigations via the concept of the human niche and in the context of the extended evolutionary synthesis (EES). While not a replacement of standard evolutionary approaches, this is an expansion and enhancement of our toolkit. I offer brief examples from human evolution in support of these assertions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin Fuentes
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
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Lawson DW, Nuñez-de la Mora A, Cooper GD, Prentice AM, Moore SE, Sear R. Marital Status and Sleeping Arrangements Predict Salivary Testosterone Levels in Rural Gambian Men. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-017-0066-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Gettler LT, Sarma MS, Gengo RG, Oka RC, McKenna JJ. Adiposity, CVD risk factors and testosterone: Variation by partnering status and residence with children in US men. Evol Med Public Health 2017; 2017:67-80. [PMID: 28435680 PMCID: PMC5397396 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eox005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and objectives: In many settings, partnered, invested fathers have lower testosterone than single men or fathers who are not involved in caregiving. Reduced testosterone has been identified as a risk factor for multiple chronic diseases, and men's health also commonly varies by life history status. There have been few tests of whether variation in testosterone based on partnering and parenting has implications for men's health. Methodology: We analysed data from a US population-representative sample (NHANES) of young-to-middle aged US men (n = 875; mean age: 29.8 years ± 6.0 [SD]). We tested for life history status differences in testosterone, adiposity levels and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (CVD)-risk (HDL cholesterol; triglycerides; white blood cell count [WBC]). Results: Partnered men residing with children (RC) had lower testosterone and elevated abdominal adiposity compared to never married men not residing with children. While they did not significantly differ for WBC or triglycerides, partnered RC men also had comparatively lower HDL. Partnered RC males' lower testosterone accounted for their relatively elevated adiposity, but testosterone, adiposity, and health-related covariates did not explain their relatively reduced HDL. Conclusions and implications: Our results linking life history status-based differences in testosterone and adiposity, alongside our complementary HDL findings, indicate that testosterone-related psychobiology might have implications for partnered RC men's CVD risk in the US and other similar societal settings. These types of socially contextualized observations of men's health and physiological function particularly merit incorporation in clinical discussions of fatherhood as a component of men's health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Mallika S Sarma
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Rieti G Gengo
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
- Helen B. Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Rahul C Oka
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
- Helen B. Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - James J McKenna
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
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Gettler LT, Ryan CP, Eisenberg DTA, Rzhetskaya M, Hayes MG, Feranil AB, Bechayda SA, Kuzawa CW. The role of testosterone in coordinating male life history strategies: The moderating effects of the androgen receptor CAG repeat polymorphism. Horm Behav 2017; 87:164-175. [PMID: 27794482 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2016] [Revised: 10/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/23/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Partnered fathers often have lower testosterone than single non-parents, which is theorized to relate to elevated testosterone (T) facilitating competitive behaviors and lower T contributing to nurturing. Cultural- and individual-factors moderate the expression of such psychobiological profiles. Less is known about genetic variation's role in individual psychobiological responses to partnering and fathering, particularly as related to T. We examined the exon 1 CAG (polyglutamine) repeat (CAGn) within the androgen receptor (AR) gene. AR CAGn shapes T's effects after it binds to AR by affecting AR transcriptional activity. Thus, this polymorphism is a strong candidate to influence individual-level profiles of "androgenicity." While males with a highly androgenic profile are expected to engage in a more competitive-oriented life history strategy, low androgenic men are at increased risk of depression, which could lead to similar outcomes for certain familial dynamics, such as marriage stability and parenting. Here, in a large longitudinal study of Filipino men (n=683), we found that men who had high androgenicity (elevated T and shorter CAGn) or low androgenicity (lower T and longer CAGn) showed elevated likelihood of relationship instability over the 4.5-year study period and were also more likely be relatively uninvolved with childcare as fathers. We did not find that CAGn moderated men's T responses to the fatherhood transition. In total, our results provide evidence for invested fathering and relationship stability at intermediate levels of androgenicity and help inform our understanding of variation in male reproductive strategies and the individual hormonal and genetic differences that underlie it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States; The Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, United States.
| | - Calen P Ryan
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
| | - Dan T A Eisenberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States; Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Margarita Rzhetskaya
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - M Geoffrey Hayes
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States; Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States; Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Alan B Feranil
- USC Office of Population Studies Foundation and Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History, College of Arts and Sciences, University of San Carlos, Talamban Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Sonny Agustin Bechayda
- USC Office of Population Studies Foundation and Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History, College of Arts and Sciences, University of San Carlos, Talamban Cebu City, Philippines
| | - Christopher W Kuzawa
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
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Gettler LT, Oka RC. Are testosterone levels and depression risk linked based on partnering and parenting? Evidence from a large population-representative study of U.S. men and women. Soc Sci Med 2016; 163:157-67. [PMID: 27441465 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.06.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Partnered adults tend to have lower risks of depression than do single individuals, while parents are more commonly depressed than non-parents. Low testosterone men, and possibly women, are also at greater risk of depression. A large body of research has shown that partnered parents have lower testosterone than single non-parents in some cultural settings, including the U.S. Here, we drew on a large (n = 2438), U.S.-population representative cohort of reproductive aged adults (age: 38.1 years ± 11.1 SD) to test hypotheses regarding the intersections between partnering and parenting, testosterone, socio-demographic characteristics, and depression outcomes. Men and women's depression prevalence did not vary based on testosterone. Partnered fathers had lower testosterone than single (never married, divorced) non-fathers, but were less commonly depressed than those single non-fathers. Partnered mothers had reduced testosterone compared to never married and partnered non-mothers. Never married mothers had higher depression prevalence and elevated depressive symptomology compared to partnered mothers; these differences were largely accounted for by key health-related covariates (e.g. cigarette smoking, BMI). We found significant three-way-interactions between socioeconomic status (SES), testosterone, and parenting for adults' depression risks. High testosterone, high SES fathers had the lowest prevalence of mild depression, whereas low testosterone, low SES non-fathers had the highest. Compared to other mothers, low SES, low testosterone mothers had elevated prevalence of mild depression. Overall, low SES, high testosterone non-mothers had substantially elevated depression risks compared to other women. We suggest that psychobiological profiles (e.g. a male with low testosterone) can emerge through variable psychosomatic and psychosocial pathways and the net effect of those profiles for depression are influenced by the social (e.g. partnering and parenting status; socioeconomic gradients), cultural (e.g. gender and family life domains), and ecological (e.g. the lived environment, particularly related to low SES and poverty) contexts in which individuals find themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA; The Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, IN, USA.
| | - Rahul C Oka
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
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Fuentes A, Wiessner P. Reintegrating Anthropology: From Inside Out: An Introduction to Supplement 13. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1086/685694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Fuentes A. The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis, Ethnography, and the Human Niche: Toward an Integrated Anthropology. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1086/685684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Hewlett BS. Evolutionary Cultural Anthropology: Containing Ebola Outbreaks and Explaining Hunter-Gatherer Childhoods. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1086/685497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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50
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Wiessner P. The Rift between Science and Humanism: What’s Data Got to Do with It? CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1086/686017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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