History Of Cohabitation Research Articles

From learning ‘who monkeys support’, we infer ‘What they know’

Though understanding what monkeys see and know without inferring anthropomorphically is virtually impossible, the more detail and concrete the ground of this inference we have, the more promising our surmise would be. A closer look into the male-male relation in cercopithecines, a genus of old world monkeys, confirms what scientists have theorized: in the absence of inclusive fitness advantage, the males cooperate closely with nonkins following the norm of reciprocity, resulting in a stratified rather than linear, continuous dominance hierarchy, as a function of seniority and age. This feature is ubiquitous and found in 3 species of macaques and yellow baboons; and it is reliably robust across 4 continents, 5 study sites, 17 troops, and 297 monkeys. In other words, although new members of a group are often at the prime age of belligerence, because senior males share a longer history of cohabitation and reciprocal relation with one another, they intervene in each other’s fight and outcompete the new members who are often not supported. This implies that, in cercopithecines, the support to nonkins may be guided by a mental scorebook, which enforces them to reciprocate in the future when their reciprocal partners are in need.

Early life affects late-life health through determining DNA methylation across the lifespan: A twin study.

SummaryBackgroundPrevious findings for the genetic and environmental contributions to DNA methylation variation were for limited age ranges only. We investigated the lifespan contributions and their implications for human health for the first time.Methods1,720 monozygotic twin (MZ) pairs and 1,107 dizygotic twin (DZ) pairs aged 0-92 years were included. Familial correlations (i.e., correlations between twins) for 353,681 methylation sites were estimated and modelled as a function of twin pair cohabitation history.FindingsThe methylome average familial correlation was around zero at birth (MZ pair: -0.01; DZ pair: -0.04), increased with the time of twins living together during childhood at rates of 0.16 (95%CI: 0.12-0.20) for MZ pairs and 0.13 (95%CI: 0.07-0.20) for DZ pairs per decade, and decreased with the time of living apart during adulthood at rates of 0.026 (95%CI: 0.019-0.033) for MZ pairs and 0.027 (95%CI: 0.011-0.043) for DZ pairs per decade. Neither the increasing nor decreasing rate differed by zygosity (both P>0.1), consistent with cohabitation environment shared by twins, rather than genetic factors, influencing the methylation familial correlation changes. Familial correlations for 6.6% (23,386/353,681) sites changed with twin pair cohabitation history. These sites were enriched for high heritability, proximal promoters, and epigenetic/genetic associations with various early-life factors and late-life health conditions.InterpretationEarly life strongly influences DNA methylation variation across the lifespan, and the effects are stronger for heritable sites and sites biologically relevant to the regulation of gene expression. Early life could affect late-life health through influencing DNA methylation.FundingVictorian Cancer Agency, Cancer Australia, Cure Cancer Foundation.

Differences in flight initiation distances between African and Australian birds

Associations between escape behaviours of birds approached by humans and life history traits differ between continents. This suggests environment and history have shaped the evolution of escape at the continental scale. We compared the escape behaviour of birds between eastern Australia (relatively low density and shorter history of human presence) and eastern Africa (high density and substantially longer history of human presence), in relation to life and natural history traits known to influence escape behaviour. We examined associations between flight initiation distance (FID) and life and natural history variables, using phylogenetically controlled analysis and model selection procedures, for 9372 FIDs from 516 bird species. Overall, African birds had shorter FIDs than Australian birds; however, this difference was only observed among nonmigratory (resident) species. Migratory birds showed no continental level differences in FIDs. Across continents, birds in ‘wetland’ and ‘treed’ habitats both had significantly longer FIDs than birds in ‘scrub’ habitats. Diet and social traits (cooperative breeding and flocking) did not significantly influence FID. The relationship between body mass and FID was positive for Australian birds but not so for African birds. This study (1) suggests that resident eastern African birds are more tolerant of humans and (2) supports the contention that some principles regarding escape behaviour of birds might represent universal patterns (e.g. longer FIDs in open wetland habitats), others (e.g. longer FIDs in larger birds) vary geographically or with habituation, perhaps in relation to the history of cohabitation between humans (and other predators) and birds.

Ethnicity influences the gut microbiota of individuals sharing a geographical location: a cross-sectional study from a middle-income country

No studies have investigated the influence of ethnicity in a multi-ethnic middle-income country with a long-standing history of co-habitation. Stool samples from 214 Malaysian community members (46 Malay, 65 Chinese, 49 Indian, and 54 Jakun) were collected. The gut microbiota of the participants was investigated using 16S amplicon sequencing. Ethnicity exhibited the largest effect size across participants (PERMANOVA Pseudo-F = 4.24, R2 = 0.06, p = 0.001). Notably, the influence of ethnicity on the gut microbiota was retained even after controlling for all demographic, dietary factors and other covariates which were significantly associated with the gut microbiome (PERMANOVA Pseudo-F = 1.67, R2 = 0.02, p = 0.002). Our result suggested that lifestyle, dietary, and uncharacterized differences collectively drive the gut microbiota variation across ethnicity, making ethnicity a reliable proxy for both identified and unidentified lifestyle and dietary variation across ethnic groups from the same community.

Premarital Education in the Catholic Church: Exploring Retrospective Perceptions of Effectiveness of a Theologically Oriented Program on Relational and Spiritual Outcomes

The effectiveness of a theology-focused marriage preparation program was tested for a group of Catholic couples (N=200). Each couple had been married for less than five years and participated in the same program. The program covered a variety of topics from communication enhancement to a Catholic theology of marriage, including marriage as a vocation and natural family planning. The study assessed the retrospective perceptions of change for relational and spiritual behaviors and attitudes, in light of these theological and relationship teachings. Couples reported increases in positive thinking about the relationship, deeper understanding of marriage as a vocation, and improved communication. However, the program produced less change in Mass attendance, and NFP practice. Results were moderated by cohabitation history, support of mentor couples and length of marriage. Views of marriage in terms of vocation and increased knowledge of NFP were indirectly linked to higher relationship satisfaction via improved communication.

Understanding drivers of human tolerance to gray wolves and brown bears as a strategy to improve landholder–carnivore coexistence

AbstractDespite recent recovery of large carnivores throughout Europe such as the brown bear (Ursus arctos) and the gray wolf (Canis lupus), some of their populations are still threatened and their viability depends on human tolerance to share mixed landscapes. We investigated the drivers of landholders' tolerance in Abruzzo (Italy), a region with a long history of cohabitation, by applying the Wildlife Tolerance Model (WTM) (Kansky et al., 2016, Biological Conservation, 201, 137–145). Using structural equation modeling we assessed relationships between WTM variables. This framework hypothesizes that exposure to a species and experiences with a species drive perceptions of benefits and costs, and ultimately tolerance. We then sought to understand similarities and differences in tolerance drivers between the two species and across two areas that differed in the duration of human–carnivore cohabitation. Results showed both similarities and differences in drivers between species and areas, resulting in seven management proposals to foster tolerance. Increasing intangible benefits and positive experiences were two strategies that were similar for both species and areas, while five strategies differed across species and areas. Our methodological approach can be applied in other landscapes with other species to determine the extent to which multispecies management across landscapes is possible.

Investigating Religion and Inequality through Women's Work‐Family Pathways

AbstractThis project investigates the relationship between religious involvement and women's work and family pathways in the United States. I identify five work‐family configurations using National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) data and latent class analysis. These configurations incorporate cohabitation histories, timing of family formation, and maternal employment. Then, I analyze how adolescent religiosity and personal and family characteristics are associated with subsequent work‐family pathways. Affiliation with an evangelical Protestant tradition is associated with women who form families early, while Catholic affiliation is tied to later family formation. Importantly, family background characteristics such as living with both biological parents and higher parental education, as well as race/ethnicity and the respondent's educational attainment, are the most consistent variables associated with work‐family configurations. These results suggest that religious involvement, when considered alongside family background, contributes to women's unequal work‐family pathways in adulthood. The close links between religion, family, and stratification are evident in the study of women's work‐family experiences.

Is it the sex, the romance, or the living together? The differential impact of past sexual, romantic, and cohabitation histories on current relationship functioning.

Is it the sex, the romance, or the living together? The differential impact of past sexual, romantic, and cohabitation histories on current relationship functioning.

Genome-wide average DNA methylation is determined in utero.

BackgroundInvestigating the genetic and environmental causes of variation in genome-wide average DNA methylation (GWAM), a global methylation measure from the HumanMethylation450 array, might give a better understanding of genetic and environmental influences on methylation.MethodsWe measured GWAM for 2299 individuals aged 0 to 90 years from seven twin and/or family studies. We estimated familial correlations, modelled correlations with cohabitation history and fitted variance components models for GWAM.ResultsThe correlation in GWAM for twin pairs was ∼0.8 at birth, decreased with age during adolescence and was constant at ∼0.4 throughout adulthood, with no evidence that twin pair correlations differed by zygosity. Non-twin first-degree relatives were correlated, from 0.17 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.05–0.30] to 0.28 (95% CI: 0.08–0.48), except for middle-aged siblings (0.01, 95% CI: −0.10–0.12), and the correlation increased with time living together and decreased with time living apart. Spouse pairs were correlated in all studies, from 0.23 (95% CI: 0.3–0.43) to 0.31 (95% CI: 0.05–0.52), and the correlation increased with time living together. The variance explained by environmental factors shared by twins alone was 90% (95% CI: 74–95%) at birth, decreased in early life and plateaued at 28% (95% CI: 17–39%) in middle age and beyond. There was a cohabitation-related environmental component of variance.ConclusionsGWAM is determined in utero by prenatal environmental factors, the effects of which persist throughout life. The variation of GWAM is also influenced by environmental factors shared by family members, as well as by individual-specific environmental factors.

Incidence of Active Tuberculosis and Cohort Retention Among Adolescents in Western Kenya.

Siaya County, with the highest tuberculosis notification rates in Kenya. To determine the incidence of active tuberculosis and 1-year cohort retention in 12-18-year-old adolescents, in preparation for phase III tuberculosis vaccine trials. Adolescents were enrolled and followed up for 1-2 years to determine tuberculosis incidence. Adolescents with a positive tuberculin skin test, history of cohabitation with a tuberculosis case or at least 1 tuberculosis symptom received clinical and sputum examination and a chest radiograph. Definite tuberculosis cases were bacteriologically confirmed and clinical cases diagnosed by a clinician based on a suggestive chest radiograph and having clinical symptoms. Risk factors were explored using Poisson regression. Among 4934 adolescents without tuberculosis at baseline, 26 tuberculosis cases were identified during follow-up with a corresponding incidence density of 4.4 [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.0-6.4] events per 1000 person-years of observation, 12 definite tuberculosis cases; incidence density of 2.0 (95% CI: 0.9-3.1). Having previous tuberculosis (rate ratio: 12.5; CI: 1.8-100) and presence of tuberculin skin test conversion (rate ratio: 3.4; CI: 1.5-7.7) were significantly associated with higher risk of tuberculosis. Overall (4086/4925), 83.0% of adolescents were retained in the study after 1 year of follow-up. Being female, older, out of school and being orphaned were significant risk factors for loss to follow-up. The tuberculosis incidence in adolescents will help inform future tuberculosis vaccine trial sample size calculations for this setting. The predictive factors for tuberculosis and retention can be further explored in future trials.

Evaluating the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment in an Australian Frontline Police Setting

This article describes a prospective validation of the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) in an Australian sample of 854 family violence cases presenting to police over a 5-month period in 2015. Two hundred cases met inclusion criteria for administration of the ODARA (male-to-female intimate partner violence with a history of assault and cohabitation). The ODARA performed well in predicting further intimate partner physical assault (area under the curve [AUC] = .68), and in predicting the outcome of any further police contact for nonphysical intimate partner abuse (AUC = .72). Despite these positive results, the instrument’s restrictive inclusion criteria meant that it could be appropriately applied in only 23% of family violence cases reported to police during the data collection period, limiting its practicality in this setting.

30 years of data reveal dramatic increase in abundance of brown trout following the removal of a small hydrodam

Humans and freshwater ecosystems have a long history of cohabitation. Today, nearly all major rivers of the world have an in-stream structure which changes water flow, substrate composition, vegetation, and fish assemblage composition. The realization of these effects and their subsequent impacts on population sustainability and conservation has led to a collective effort aimed to find ways to mitigate these impacts. Barrier removal has recently received greater interest as a potential solution to restore river connectivity, and reestablish high quality habitats, suitable for feeding, refuge and spawning of fish. In the present study, we present thirty years of data from electrofishing surveys obtained at two sites, both prior to and following the removal of a small-scale hydropower dam in Central Jutland, Denmark. We demonstrate that the dam removal has led to a dramatic increase in trout density, especially in young of the year. Surprisingly, we found that this increase was not just upstream of the barrier, where the ponded zone previously was, but also downstream of the barrier, despite little changes in habitat in that area. These findings suggest that barrier removal may be the soundest conservation option to reinstate fish population productivity.

The Rise in Divorce and Cohabitation: Is There a Link?

Over the past decades, divorce and cohabitation have increased dramatically throughout Europe. Divorce has fundamentally altered the institution of marriage from a life-long union to one that may dissolve. Cohabitation allows couples to live together without undertaking the vows of marriage, but also allows couples to avoid the potentially higher costs of divorce. Thus, divorce and cohabitation seem to be intrinsically linked. Here we theorize how the increase in divorce may be linked to the increase in cohabitation on the macro-, meso-, and micro- levels. Using focus group data from 8 countries, we explore how divorce may have changed attitudes and beliefs concerning marriage and cohabitation. We then investigate whether survey data and official statistics in 16 countries provide evidence consistent with a link. While exogenous factors have been important for the increase in cohabitation, we argue that the divorce revolution has been a catalyst for the cohabitation boom.

Can marriage education mitigate the risks associated with premarital cohabitation?

This study tested whether relationship education (i.e., the Prevention and Relationship Education Program; PREP) can mitigate the risk of having cohabited before making a mutual commitment to marry (i.e., "precommitment cohabitation") for marital distress and divorce. Using data from a study of PREP for married couples in the U.S. Army (N = 662 couples), we found that there was a significant association between precommitment cohabitation and lower marital satisfaction and dedication before random assignment to intervention. After intervention, this precommitment cohabitation effect was only apparent in the control group. Specifically, significant interactions between intervention condition and cohabitation history indicated that for the control group, but not the PREP group, precommitment cohabitation was associated with lower dedication as well as declines in marital satisfaction and increases in negative communication over time. Furthermore, those with precommitment cohabitation were more likely to divorce by the 2-year follow-up only in the control group; there were no differences in divorce based on premarital cohabitation history in the PREP group. These findings are discussed in light of current research on cohabitation and relationship education; potential implications are also considered.

PREP for Strong Bonds: A review of outcomes from a randomized clinical trial.

To help address the relationship needs of service members, there have been a number of programs offered within active duty and veteran contexts. One program, offered within the Strong Bonds portfolio delivered by Army Chaplains, is PREP for Strong Bonds (PREP = the Prevention and Relationship Education Program). PREP has a number of empirically based and tested variants. This article reviews the disseminated research regarding results from a large randomized clinical trial designed to test the effectiveness of PREP for Strong Bonds. From a sample of 662 Army couples drawn from two sites, outcome papers have focused on different subsamples, marital outcomes, follow up time points, and moderators. Reviewing these disseminated outcomes, we conclude that PREP for Strong Bonds has significant divorce reduction effects at one site; these divorce effects were found at both one and two years post intervention, and were moderated by factors such as minority status, economic strain, and cohabitation history of the couple. In terms of marital quality outcomes, some modest overall effects were found pre to post intervention, but there were no overall marital quality outcome effects two years post intervention. However, marital quality outcomes are significantly moderated by infidelity and cohabitation history, with couples reporting these risk factors showing greater positive marital quality outcomes. These results to date are discussed in terms of clinical and research implications as well as directions for future work, such as examining longer term preventative effects.

Historical Trends in the Marital Intentions of One‐Time and Serial Cohabitors

This study explored whether cohabitors' marital intentions have changed over time and whether they are sensitive to a person's cohabitation history, that is, the number of cohabitations individuals have experienced. Using a sample of ever‐cohabited women, 16–28 years old, from the 2002 and 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth (N = 6,023), the author found that the prevalence of serial cohabitation continues to increase among younger birth cohorts. Furthermore, the share of female cohabitors with plans to marry has been declining across time, net of demographic controls and cohabitation history. Serial cohabitation has strong negative associations with marital intentions, a pattern that was not present among the oldest birth cohort but has emerged among more recent cohorts. These findings extend prior work by showing that the downward trend in cohabitors' marital intentions is continuing among the youngest cohort of women and, importantly, is not explained by serial cohabitation.

Perception and Press in Revolutionary Transylvania. 1848-1849

The perception of the “Other” has always been a lingering matter in the minds of those who shared, through historical ethnic distribution, the same territory. In the case of Transylvania, given its multicultural setting, these types of perceptions were essentially the result of a long history of cohabitation, which was at times severely affected by politically-generated conflicts such as revolutions and the auxiliary fronts that supported their cause, like the press. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2013.v2n2p443

Vocal recognition of owners by domestic cats (Felis catus)

Domestic cats have had a 10,000-year history of cohabitation with humans and seem to have the ability to communicate with humans. However, this has not been widely examined. We studied 20 domestic cats to investigate whether they could recognize their owners by using voices that called out the subjects' names, with a habituation-dishabituation method. While the owner was out of the cat's sight, we played three different strangers' voices serially, followed by the owner's voice. We recorded the cat's reactions to the voices and categorized them into six behavioral categories. In addition, ten naive raters rated the cats' response magnitudes. The cats responded to human voices not by communicative behavior (vocalization and tail movement), but by orienting behavior (ear movement and head movement). This tendency did not change even when they were called by their owners. Of the 20 cats, 15 demonstrated a lower response magnitude to the third voice than to the first voice. These habituated cats showed a significant rebound in response to the subsequent presentation of their owners' voices. This result indicates that cats are able to use vocal cues alone to distinguish between humans.

Estimating the Effect of Premarital Cohabitation on Timing of Marital Disruption

In this article, we extend the propensity score method by matching on multiple groups. Using data from first wave (1987–1988) and third wave (2001–2003) of National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), we match married individuals with no premarital cohabitation, single premarital cohabitation with the spouse, and serial premarital cohabitations, and apply Cox proportional hazards models to explore how premarital cohabitation history affects marital disruption. Our results indicate that both selection and causation help explain the relationship. The selection effect played a large role in 1987–88 when cohabitation was uncommon but disappeared in 2001–03 when cohabitation became prevalent. Postmatching results demonstrate that the causal effect of cohabitation on marital disruption was strong among serial cohabitors and weak among one-time cohabitors with the spouse. The imputation-based sensitivity analysis shows that our conclusion is robust even with the presence of unobserved characteristics that have a moderate association with cohabitation and marital disruption.

Partner Abuse in Ethnic Minority and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Populations

This review seeks to synthesize the current state of knowledge regarding gender differences in rates of physical and psychological intimate partner violence (IPV) prevalence among the four largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States, compares rates of physical and psychological IPV between sexual minorities and heterosexuals and among subgroups of sexual minorities (gay men, lesbians, bisexuals), and summarizes correlates and risk factors that are associated with rates of IPV in both ethnic and sexual minorities.A systematic search of the published literature in the past 40 years using various search engines (e.g., PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) was conducted. The review identified 55 studies that met criteria. Few gender differences in rates of physical and psychological aggression were found among African American, Hispanic American, Asian American, and Native American men and women. Psychological aggression was most frequently reported. Bidirectional violence, which primarily took the form of minor aggression, was the most frequently reported form of physical violence. When unidirectional aggression was assessed, it was more likely to be female perpetrated, particularly among African Americans. These gender patterns were consistent across general population, student, and community studies. Respondents who reported a history of same-sex cohabitation and those who identified as sexual minorities reported higher rates of IPV than those who reported only a history of opposite-sex cohabitation and those who identified as heterosexual.Regarding sexual minority subgroup differences, bisexuals appeared to be at a greater risk of IPV, and victimization among transgendered individuals has largely been neglected in the literature. Substance abuse and use, marginalized socioeconomic status in the form of family and neighborhood poverty, and exposure to violence during childhood as a witness or victim of violence in the family of origin were consistently linked to elevated rates of IPV. Associations also were found between level of acculturation and minority stress in the form of internalized homophobia and frequency of discrimination based on sexual orientation. However, the complex association among these variables was less clear across racial groups and sexual orientation. Research limitations and future research directions are discussed.