Sex-Specific Associations of Harsh Childhood Environment with Psychometrically Assessed Life History Profile: no Evidence for Mediation through Developmental Timing or Embodied Capital

Abstract

Life History (LH) Theory explains how organisms allocate energy among the competing demands of growth and maintenance (i.e., investment in future reproduction), mating effort, and parenting effort. LH profile is thought to be influenced by cues of extrinsic mortality and morbidity. Human LH strategies have been conceptualized on a fast-slow continuum and have been measured via biometric indicators (e.g., developmental timing) and psychometric indictors (e.g., personality traits). We aim to preliminarily develop and test an integrated model in which childhood environments are hypothesized to influence variation in psychometric LH profile in adulthood via effects on earlier biometric developmental LH indicators. We tested, in a sample of 370 U.S. undergraduates, a model in which associations of early life adversity on psychometrically assessed LH profile are mediated by biometrically assessed LH indicators (e.g., developmental timing; somatic state). The complete model was not supported. Several direct and indirect paths were consistent with theory-driven predictions, but other findings were inconsistent with LH-based hypotheses. Best fitting models differed by sex, such that an association existed between males’ psychometric LH profile and neighborhood stress, father closeness, and somatic state (telomere length), whereas an association existed between females’ developmental timing with adult LH profile and father closeness. While there was limited support for the complete multivariate model, we conclude that an integrative approach to the assessment and modeling of LH variation holds substantial promise for future research.