Cited by 252Evolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorAdolescent Sexual and Reproductive HealthChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

The development of reproductive strategy in females: early maternal harshness –> earlier menarche –> increased sexual risk taking

Belsky, Jay, NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, Steinberg, Laurence, Houts, Renate M., Halpern-Felsher, Bonnie L.·2010·Developmental Psychology

Abstract

To test a proposition central to J. Belsky, L. Steinberg, and P. Draper's (1991) evolutionary theory of socialization-that pubertal maturation plays a role in linking early rearing experience with adolescent sexual risk taking (i.e., frequency of sexual behavior) and, perhaps, other risk taking (e.g., alcohol, drugs, delinquency)-the authors subjected longitudinal data on 433 White, 62 Black, and 31 Hispanic females to path analysis. Results showed (a) that greater maternal harshness at 54 months predicted earlier age of menarche; (b) that earlier age of menarche predicted greater sexual (but not other) risk taking; and (c) that maternal harshness exerted a significant indirect effect, via earlier menarche, on sexual risk taking (i.e., greater harshness --> earlier menarche --> greater sexual risk taking) but only a direct effect on other risk taking. Results are discussed in terms of evolutionary perspectives on human development and reproductive strategy, and future directions for research are outlined.

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Crossref · 10.1037/a0015549

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  • Sex hormones intensify adolescent behavioral and psychological changes.

    “Sex hormones intensify adolescent behavioral and psychological changes (94–96), but in emerging adulthood and into adulthood, average rates of depression, anxiety, and risk-taking decline.”

    From Emerging Adulthood, a Pre-adult Life-History Stage (2020) · cites this paper as [96]

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Authors
Belsky, J., NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, Steinberg, L., Houts, R. M., & Halpern-Felsher, B. L.
Affiliations
Birkbeck, University of London (GB)
Venue
Developmental Psychology
Published
2010
Volume
46
Issue
1
Pages
120-128
ISSN
  • 0012-1649 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-0599
OpenAlex
W2154716439
Cited by
252
References
42
Citations by year
2025: 9 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 24
FWCI
25.54
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Developmental Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • BIROn (Birkbeck, University of London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Cooperative agreement U10)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
early menarche, pubertal development, reproductive strategies, adolescent risk-taking, early rearing experience
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Menarche, Models, Psychological, Puberty, Precocious, Reproduction, Retrospective Studies, Risk-Taking, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Maturation

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