Abstract
Absence of the biological father in early childhood has been linked to depressive symptoms in mid-adolescent girls. Earlier studies have linked father absence to early timing of menarche, and early menarche is a risk factor for increased depressive symptoms in adolescence. No studies, however, have examined whether the association between father absence and depressive symptoms may be explained by the early onset of menarche. This study investigated whether age at menarche mediates the association between father absence in early childhood (birth to 5 years) and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls aged 14 years. The study sample comprised 7056 girls from a large UK birth cohort (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children) who provided data on age at onset of menarche and depressive symptoms assessed using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire at 14 years. Mothers provided data on father absence from the birth of the study child up to 10 years. Using structural equation modelling, we found that 15 % of the total estimated association between father absence in early childhood and depressive symptoms at 14 years was explained by early age at menarche. In addition to the mediated effect, father absence was linked to an 11 % increase in depressive symptoms in adolescence. The findings suggest that early age at menarche is one of the pathways linking early childhood father absence and depressive symptoms in mid-adolescent girls. Preventive strategies could be targeting young girls at risk for depressive symptoms as a function of stressful family factors (e.g., biological father absence) and earlier menarche.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10802-014-9960-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Absence of the biological father in early childhood has been linked to depressive symptoms in mid-adolescent girls
Psychosocial acceleration theory postulates that children whose early family experiences are high in stress, including that associated with biological father absence, are more likely to develop insecure attachments, experience earlier pubertal maturation and accelerated sexual activity than children whose early childhood environment is characterised by nurturing experiences (Belsky et al 1991)
Both theories place different emphasis on the role of fathers influencing the timing of pubertal maturation in girls, they converge on the assumption that stressful early childhood experiences, including father absence, affect the physiological and hormonal mechanisms that initiate and control pubertal development (Ellis 2004)
Summary
Absence of the biological father in early childhood has been linked to depressive symptoms in mid-adolescent girls. Life-course adversity theories such as psychosocial acceleration theory (Belsky et al 1991) and paternal investment theory (Draper and Harpending 1982, 1988) emphasise the importance of certain developmental experiences and psychosocial cues in the early rearing environment that steer girls toward earlier versus later onset of sexual activity and reproduction One such factor is father absence during the first 5 years of child’s life. Psychosocial acceleration theory postulates that children whose early family experiences are high in stress, including that associated with biological father absence, are more likely to develop insecure attachments, experience earlier pubertal maturation and accelerated sexual activity than children whose early childhood environment is characterised by nurturing experiences (Belsky et al 1991). It is important to control for these factors whilst examining the pathways between early childhood father absence, age at menarche and depressive symptoms
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