Paternal Control Research Articles

Exploring the Development of Perfectionistic Cognitions and Self-Beliefs

In a sample of 187 adolescent–parent pairs the relationships between parent behavior and adolescents’ self-reported perfectionistic tendencies (i.e., concerns over mistakes, doubts about actions and personal standards) and self-beliefs (i.e., self-esteem, contingent self-worth and labile self-esteem) were explored. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that adolescents’ tendency to doubt their actions was positively predicted by maternal self-reported psychological control and negatively predicted by adolescents’ perceptions of maternal involvement in their lives. A three-way interaction between paternal behavioral control, psychological control and acceptance positively predicted adolescents’ tendency to doubt their actions and their self-esteem. In addition, adolescents’ perceptions of paternal autonomy and involvement showed a negative association with their self-reported doubts about actions and concerns over mistakes respectively. This study provides support for the methodological value of examining both independent and interactive effects of both child and parent reports of parenting behavior.

Parenting and Psychopathology in Sibling Pairs

Background: The current study explored the relationship between parenting experience in childhood as a specific aspect of the non-shared environment and the amount of psychopathology in adulthood. Sampling and Methods: 27 same-sex sibling pairs were studied. In each pair, one proband was a psychiatric outpatient, the other proband a non-patient. All probands filled in the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Results: The patients rated higher on practically all SCL-90-R scales whereas no significant differences were found with regard to the PBI ratings. With only one exception, there were no significant correlations between PBI and SCL-90-R ratings in the group of patients. In contrast, all SCL-90-R subscales correlated negatively with paternal care and half of them positively with paternal control in patients' healthy siblings. Conclusions: The degree of paternal care seems to be most closely related with lack of mental symptoms in psychiatric non-patients. In contrast, parenting does not seem to play a substantial role in patients, presenting with a higher degree of psychopathology. Obviously, environmental factors become less important, the more pronounced the pathology.

Perceived Parental Control in Chinese Adolescents in Hong Kong: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study

Utilizing a longitudinal research design, perceived parental control in 2,559 Chinese adolescents over three con- secutive years was examined by measures of indigenous Chinese parental control concepts (Chinese Paternal Control Scale: CPCS; Chinese Maternal Control Scale: CMCS). The relationships between CPCS and CMCS and measures of pa- rental control and parent-child relational qualities were also investigated. Although Chinese parents had high expectations about their children, they were not strict in parental discipline. The CPCS and CMCS scores were significantly correlated with measures of parental control and perceived parental endorsement of traditional Chinese parenting beliefs in early adolescent years. While CPCS and CMCS had weak concurrent and prospective relationships with parent-child relational qualities measures, the observed relationships were moderated by parental psychological control. The theoretical and prac- tical implications of the findings are discussed.

Reproductive skew and relatedness in social groups of European badgers, Meles meles

Reproductive skew is a measure of the proportion of individuals of each sex that breed in a group and is a valuable measure for understanding the evolution and maintenance of sociality. Here, we provide the first quantification of reproductive skew within social groups of European badgers Meles meles, throughout an 18-year study in a high-density population. We used 22 microsatellite loci to analyse within-group relatedness and demonstrated that badger groups contained relatives. The average within-group relatedness was high (R = 0.20) and approximately one-third of within-group dyads were more likely to represent first-order kin than unrelated pairs. Adult females within groups had higher pairwise relatedness than adult males, due to the high frequency of extra-group paternities, rather than permanent physical dispersal. Spatial clustering of relatives occurred among neighbouring groups, which we suggest was due to the majority of extra-group paternities being attributable to neighbouring males. Reproductive skew was found among within-group candidate fathers (B = 0.26) and candidate mothers (B = 0.07), but not among breeding individuals; our power to detect skew in the latter was low. We use these results to evaluate reproductive skew models. Although badger society best fits the assumptions of the incomplete-control models, our results were not consistent with their predictions. We suggest that this may be due to female control of paternity, female-female reproductive suppression occurring only in years with high food availability resulting in competition over access to breeding sites, extra-group paternity masking the benefits of natal philopatry, and/or the inconsistent occurrence of hierarchies that are linear when established.

Female reproductive synchrony predicts skewed paternity across primates.

Recent studies have uncovered remarkable variation in paternity within primate groups. To date, however, we lack a general understanding of the factors that drive variation in paternity skew among primate groups and across species. Our study focused on hypotheses from reproductive skew theory involving limited control and the use of paternity “concessions” by investigating how paternity covaries with the number of males, female estrous synchrony, and rates of extragroup paternity. In multivariate and phylogenetically controlled analyses of data from 27 studies on 19 species, we found strong support for a limited control skew model, with reproductive skew within groups declining as female reproductive synchrony and the number of males per group increase. Of these 2 variables, female reproductive synchrony explained more of the variation in paternity distributions. To test whether dominant males provide incentives to subordinates to resist matings by extragroup males, that is, whether dominants make concessions of paternity, we derived a novel prediction that skew is lower within groups when threat from outside the group exists. This prediction was not supported as a primary factor underlying patterns of reproductive skew among primate species. However, our approach revealed that if concessions occur in primates, they are most likely when female synchrony is low, as these conditions provide alpha male control of paternity that is assumed by concessions models. Collectively, our analyses demonstrate that aspects of male reproductive competition are the primary drivers of reproductive skew in primates.

Introduction

Roman artistic works from the Augustan period begin to use the bodies of women, but also of men and children, to represent the empire as a household with Augustus as its head. Such representations manipulate developing metaphors of family loyalty and paternal control to express the transformative power of Augustus's imperial policies that made former enemies into subjects or cooperative participants in Roman society. The poetry of Ovid reveals the pervasiveness of this imagery and the range of interpretations placed upon it by a member of the elite now subject to an emperor.

Perceived Parental Control Based on Indigenous Chinese Parental Control Concepts in Adolescents in Hong Kong

Perceived parental control was assessed in 3,017 adolescents via the Chinese Paternal Control Scale (CPCS) and Chinese Maternal Control Scale (CMCS) based on indigenous Chinese parental control concepts. Results showed that Chinese parents were perceived to have expectations about their children but they were not harsh in parental discipline. Consistent with our predictions, the CPCS and CMCS had significant relationships with measures of psychological control, parental expectations, firm parental discipline, and perceived parental endorsement of traditional Chinese parenting beliefs. However, these two measures had weak relationships with indicators of parent-child relational qualities and adolescent psychological well-being but the observed relationships were moderated by parental psychological control.

Gender, Sex, and the Domestication of the Empire in Art of the Augustan Age

Roman artistic works from the Augustan period begin to use the bodies of women, but also of men and children, to represent the empire as a household with Augustus as its head. Such representations manipulate developing metaphors of family loyalty and paternal control to express the transformative power of Augustus's imperial policies that made former enemies into subjects or cooperative participants in Roman society. The poetry of Ovid reveals the pervasiveness of this imagery and the range of interpretations placed upon it by a member of the elite now subject to an emperor.

PERCEIVED PARENTING STYLES AND DISORDERED PERSONALITY TRAITS IN ADOLESCENT AND ADULT STUDENTS AND IN PERSONALITY DISORDER PATIENTS

To examine the relationship between perceptions of parenting and personality, the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI; Parker, Tupling, & Brown, 1979) and the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology – Basic Questionnaire (DAPP; Livesley & Jackson, in press) were administered to 167 adolescent and 422 adult students, as well as to 198 patients with personality disorders. Principal component analysis of the PBI yielded 3 factors in all three samples: Care, Freedom Control, and Autonomy Denial. Chinese personality disorder patients perceived less parental Care than did adolescent and adult students, more paternal Freedom Control than did adults, and more paternal Autonomy Denial than did adolescents. Most regression coefficients between PBI and DAPP scales were moderate, but consistent with previous literature. These findings are similar to those found in the non-Chinese samples, suggesting that parental bonding is important in the development of personality disorders across different nations.

Developmental and Genetic Outcomes in Children Conceived Through Assisted Reproductive Technologies

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe the outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for singleton, twin, and other multiple births. 2. Describe the role of fertility in adverse outcomes seen with ART births. 3. Review the association of birth defects with ART. 4. Delineate the association of disease of genomic imprinting with ART. 5. Describe the relationship between ART and the subsequent incidence of neurodevelopmental sequelae. In the 1977 ruling “Carey v. Population Services International,” the United States Supreme Court ruled that the decision to bear children is constitutionally protected. (1) Significant interest already had been shown in the development and improvements of in vitro fertilization (IVF) for infertile couples. The first human pregnancy and human birth using IVF were reported by Steptoe and Edwards in the United Kingdom. (2) Their work resulted in the first baby born via reproductive technologies, Louise Brown, born on July 25, 1978, at Oldham General Hospital in Oldham, United Kingdom. (3) She was born via a planned cesarean section, and her birthweight was 2.61 kg. The first successful viable IVF in the United States was performed by Jones and Seager-Jones in 1981 in Norfolk, Virginia. (4) Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have seen a recent surge in popularity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 122,872 cycles of ART were initiated in 2003, resulting in the delivery of 48,756 neonates, (5) accounting for approximately 1% of all neonates delivered in the United States. The percentage is higher in many countries, including Denmark, where it is estimated that 5% of all deliveries are with the assistance of ART. (6) Couples pursue ART for myriad reasons, including tubal transport factors, ovulatory dysfunction, uterine factors, endometriosis, male- and female-specific factors, and when a cause of infertility is unknown. (5) It would be very …

Zur Psychogenese der Persönlichkeitsstörungen

Personality - and thus, personality disorder - represents a complex entity encompassing the entire spectrum of inner experience and outer behaviour. Therefore, when studying the aetiology of personality disorders, it may be preferable to separate genetically driven temperament, character with a number of non-behavioural components and impairment. Even though genetic effects bring about environmental risks or cause an increased vulnerability to such risks, they cannot explain the recent general increase in behavioural pathology in young people. Apart from macrosocial factors the most important microsocial environmental factors include dysfunctional family, traumatic experiences and other psychosocial stressors. The role of these factors has most often been studied in borderline personality disorder. The majority of borderline personality disorders suffered traumatic events, most of them being repeated sexual and physical abuse in childhood and adolescence; the hypothesis has even been promoted that borderline personality disorder represents a special form of posttraumatic stress disorder. Regarding family factors, parental bonding (mostly assessed with the Parental Bonding Instrument [PBI], reflecting parental attitudes and behaviours) has frequently been studied in borderline and other personality disorders. Our results underline the role of gender: whereas early trauma experiences correlated significantly with the overall (and especially cluster B, including borderline) pathology of personality disorders in women, high correlations were found between the overall pathology of personality disorders and parental bonding dimensions in men, with lack of paternal care and high paternal control accounting for 38% of the entire variance. A paradigm of biological priority and psychological supremacy has been developed and our results showing a much higher link between psychopathology and PBI dimensions in healthy probands than in their mentally ill, same-sex siblings are in agreement with this model. Environmental factors seem to play a less important role in the case of a more pronounced psychopathology.

Observations on the structure and function of the seminal receptacles and associated accessory pouches in ovoviviparous onychophorans from Australia (Peripatopsidae; Onychophora)

AbstractThe structure of the seminal receptacles and associated accessory pouches in the reproductive tracts of four species of Australian ovoviviparous peripatopsids is described to identify features that may relate to their inferred mode of insemination. Euperipatoides rowelli is a dermal inseminator whereas Phallocephale tallagandensis, Ruhbergia bifalcata and Cephalofovea clandestina, species with head structures in males, are considered to be vaginal inseminators. Contrary to our expectations, E. rowelli, R. bifalcata and C. clandestina have very similar seminal receptacles and display two types of accessory pouches: funnel accessory pouches that open to the haemocoel and spherical accessory pouches in which destruction of excess sperm occurs. On the other hand, Ph. tallagandensis differs in the form of its accessory pouches. Although these pouches have no direct opening into the haemocoel, sperm were observed in the act of directly penetrating their walls to gain entry from the haemocoel. Hence, despite differences in the form of their accessory pouches, all species display features that provide the potential for entry of sperm into the female reproductive tract from the haemocoel. This finding has caused us to reconsider our initial assumptions of vaginal and dermal insemination as mutually exclusive reproductive strategies. Indeed, we propose that species of peripatopsids with head structures in males that were considered to be obligate vaginal inseminators may in fact be facultative, with vaginal insemination of sexually immature females when their uterus is short and free of developing embryos followed by dermal insemination to maintain the level of sperm in storage in the seminal receptacles. This study has also provided morphological evidence for mechanisms that may facilitate female control of paternity.

Do spermathecal morphology and inter-mating interval influence paternity in the polyandrous beetle Tribolium castaneum?

AbstractIn polyandrous insects, postcopulatory sexual selection is a pervasive evolutionary force favouring male and female traits that allow control of offspring paternity. Males may influence paternity through adaptations for sperm competition, and females through adaptations facilitating cryptic female choice. Yet, the mechanisms are often complex, involving behaviour, physiology or morphology, and they are difficult to identify. In red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum), paternity varies widely, and evidence suggests that both male and female traits influence the outcome of sperm competition. To test the role of spermathecal morphology and of sperm storage processes on the outcome of sperm competition, we mated each of 26 virgin females with two males, one of which carrying a phenotypic marker to assign offspring paternity. We manipulated the interval between mating with the first and the second male, to create different conditions of sperm storage (overlapping and non-overlapping) in the female reproductive tract. To investigate the role of sperm storage more closely, we examined the relationship between paternity and spermathecal morphology in a subset of 14 experimental females. In addition, we also characterized variation in spermathecal morphology in three different strains, wildtype, Chicago black and Reindeer. No significant influence of the intermating interval was found on the paternity of the focal male, although the direction of the difference was in the expected direction of higher last male paternity for longer intervals. Moreover, paternity was not significantly associated with spermathecal morphology, although spermathecal volume, complexity, and tubule width varied significantly and substantially among individuals in all investigated strains.

Multiple sperm storage organs facilitate female control of paternity

It has been proposed that multiple sperm storage organs (spermathecae) could allow polyandrous females to control paternity. There is little conclusive evidence for this since insemination of individual spermathecae is generally not experimentally manipulable. Here, we examined sperm use patterns in the Australian redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), which has paired, independent spermathecae. We assessed paternity when two rivals were forced to inseminate a single storage organ or opposite storage organs. When males inseminated a single spermatheca, mean paternity of the female's first mate was 79.8% (median 89.4%), and 38% of first mates achieved 100% paternity. In contrast, when males inseminated opposite organs, the mean paternity of the first mate was 49.3% (median 49.9%), only 10% of males achieved complete precedence, and paternity was normally distributed, suggesting sperm mixing. Males responded to this difference by avoiding previously inseminated female reproductive tracts. Complete sperm precedence can only be achieved if females permit males to copulate with both reproductive tracts. Females often cannibalize smaller males during their first copulation, thus limiting their paternity to 50%. These data show that multiple sperm storage organs can increase female control of paternity.

The relation between the absolute level of parenting and differential parental treatment with adolescent siblings’ adjustment

Background: The present study extends existing studies on the role of differential parental treatment in explaining individual differences in adolescent problem behaviors above the absolute level of parenting and clarifies the function of gender of the child, birth rank and gender constellation of the sibling dyads.Method: The absolute level of parenting practices and differential treatment were examined in a sample of 288 Dutch families consisting of two parents and two adolescents. Parents reported on adolescent internalizing and externalizing problem behavior and adolescents reported on parental warmth and coercive control.Results: Parenting dimensions were related to problem behavior for same‐ and mixed‐gender sibling pairs, with coercive control as the strongest predictor. No direct association was found between differential parental treatment and child outcomes above the absolute levels of parenting in same‐gender sibling pairs. However, differential maternal and paternal control was related to internalizing behavior of girls and differential paternal warmth was linked to externalizing behavior of the older siblings in mixed‐gender sibling pairs.Conclusion: Differential parental treatment is uniquely associated with child problem behavior above the absolute level of parenting for girls and early‐born children in mixed‐gender sibling pairs. Any examination of the effects of differential treatment should not be undertaken without considering the gender and birth rank of the sibling pairs.

The relation between the absolute level of parenting and differential parental treatment with adolescent siblings' adjustment.

The present study extends existing studies on the role of differential parental treatment in explaining individual differences in adolescent problem behaviors above the absolute level of parenting and clarifies the function of gender of the child, birth rank and gender constellation of the sibling dyads. The absolute level of parenting practices and differential treatment were examined in a sample of 288 Dutch families consisting of two parents and two adolescents. Parents reported on adolescent internalizing and externalizing problem behavior and adolescents reported on parental warmth and coercive control. Parenting dimensions were related to problem behavior for same- and mixed-gender sibling pairs, with coercive control as the strongest predictor. No direct association was found between differential parental treatment and child outcomes above the absolute levels of parenting in same-gender sibling pairs. However, differential maternal and paternal control was related to internalizing behavior of girls and differential paternal warmth was linked to externalizing behavior of the older siblings in mixed-gender sibling pairs. Differential parental treatment is uniquely associated with child problem behavior above the absolute level of parenting for girls and early-born children in mixed-gender sibling pairs. Any examination of the effects of differential treatment should not be undertaken without considering the gender and birth rank of the sibling pairs.

Use of milk samples from a milk evaluation program for the genotyping of cows

Abstract. Milk can be an attractive DNA-resource for genotyping milking cows, e.g. for paternity control or QTL analysis within a daughter design. The use of milk collected within the established milk evaluation programs enables the collection of large numbers of samples. Nevertheless, there are limitations when using the remedies of tested milk samples, e.g. permutations of samples or partially degraded DNA. A DNA preparation method suitable for samples from routine milk recording has been developed that combines an initial centrifugation step with direct lysis of cells and purification from comparatively high volumes by using silica membrane spin columns. The method yields high quality genomic DNA from fresh samples and PCR grade DNA from remedies of tested samples. In addition the potential use of milk samples within a daughter design was evaluated. We collected reference samples from 119 Simmental dairy cows from 6 half sib families. From 89 of these dairy cows remedies of milk samples were obtained from the routine milk laboratory. Paternity could be established by microsatellite analyses for all 119 reference cases. From the 89 milk laboratory samples 86 were successfully microsatellite typed. In 81 cases the genotypes from milk and reference sample were identical. In summary it could be shown that it is possible to genotype dairy cows from test laboratory milk samples, but results have to be used carefully taking into account inherent limitations. The use of milk as compared with tissue samples as a source for DNA within daughter designs is discussed.

Paternalism incorporated: fables of American fatherhood, 1865-1940

Between the Civil War and World War I, David Leverenz maintains, the corporate transformation of American work created widespread desire for upward mobility along with widening class divisions. In his view, several significant narrative constructs, notably the s girl and the s emerge at the intersection between paternalist practices and more democratic possibilities for self-advancement. From Mark Twain s Laura Hawkins in The Gilded Age to the protagonist of Theodore Dreiser s Sister Carrie and Willa Cather s Alexandra Bergson in O Pioneers!, Leverenz finds that the image of the s girl constrains the emerging threat of the career woman even as it articulates the lure of upward mobility for women. In surveying the figure of the daddy s boy, Leverenz examines tensions between young men s desires for upward mobility and older men s desires for paternal control. Paternalism Incorporated also addresses yearnings for individualism and paternalism in various critiques of the emerging corporation. Another chapter links honor and shaming to race in the philanthropic practices of Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, framed with narratives by William Dean Howells, Booker T. Washington, and Jane Addams. After showing how a s girl becomes a paternalist in Henry James s The Golden Bowl, Leverenz considers F. Scott Fitzgerald s Tender is the Night as paternalism s elegy, contrasted with the Shirley Temple film The Little Colonel.

Maternal Control of Development at the Midblastula Transition and beyond: Mutants from the Zebrafish II

Many maternal factors in the oocyte persist in the embryo. They are required to initiate zygotic transcription but also function beyond this stage, where they interact with zygotic gene products during embryonic development. In a four-generation screen in the zebrafish, we identified 47 maternal-effect and five paternal-effect mutants that manifest their phenotypes at the time of, or after, zygotic genome activation. We propagated a subset of 13 mutations that cause developmental arrest at the midblastula transition, defects in cell viability, embryonic morphogenesis, and establishment of the embryonic body plan. This diverse group of mutants, many not previously observed in vertebrates, demonstrates a substantial maternal contribution to the “zygotic” period of embryogenesis and a surprising degree of paternal control. These mutants provide powerful tools to dissect the maternal and paternal control of vertebrate embryogenesis.

Paternity Analysis in a Hexapod (Orchesella cincta; Collembola) with Indirect Sperm Transfer

In species where males and females interact during mating, the role of females in sexual selection cannot always be demonstrated unambiguously. Here we present a model system to study female choice for mates. Orchesella cinca is a soil-dwelling hexapod with indirect sperm transfer. Females and males do not interact physically for reproduction. We gave females the choice between spermatophores produced by two different males. Paternity analysis based on microsatellite variation revealed that offspring in one clutch were sired by one male only. Direct observations showed that after a female has taken up a spermatophore, the female's receptivity to further spermatophore uptake seem to end. Our results imply that the female is in full control of paternity.