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Do sex-linked behaviors in children influence relationships with their parents?

When relationships are found between parents' and children's behaviors it is usually assumed the parents' behaviors produced those of the children. Forty-four young adult males and 36 young adult females reported the degree to which they showed various sex-linked behaviors and feelings of same versus opposite sex identity in childhood, and adolescence, and currently. These behaviors accounted for up to 57% of the variance of measures of the quality of relationships with parents. In men, opposite-sex-linked behaviors and identity correlated most strongly with current negative parental and particularly paternal relationships. They also correlated strongly with negative paternal relationships in childhood. Some sex-linked behaviors and sex identity items in men correlated positively with maternal overprotection in childhood and adolescence. Correlations between women's sex-linked behaviors and sexual identity items and their parental relationships were weaker but more consistently negative. As in men, opposite-sex-linked behaviors and identity in women correlated most strongly with current negative paternal relationships. The pattern of the associations and the finding that many opposite-sex-linked behaviors in subjects' childhood correlated most strongly with negative parental relationships in early adult life suggest that the parents' feelings could be partly a response to, rather than totally causal of, the subjects' sex-linked behaviors.

Adult↗

Is polyandry a common event among wild populations of the pest Ceratitis capitata?

In many insect species, females can mate more than once and store sperm from more than one male. An assessment and understanding of polyandry in the field can be important for pest species with a high colonization potential, such as the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), which is also highly polyphagous and among the most destructive agricultural insects. The use of polymorphic microsatellite markers, combined with different statistical approaches, provides evidence that polyandry occurs in two C. capitata natural populations, one population from the Greek island of Chios and one population from Rehovot, in Israel. The observed different level of polyandry is discussed in relation to the genetic diversity, seasonality, and demography of the two populations. When polyandry is present, paternity analysis also indicates that one male, presumably the last, tends to sire most of the progeny. Polyandry and paternity skew may have important implications for the evolution of the species, in terms of maintenance of the genetic variability. Moreover, these aspects of the mating behavior, i.e., remating frequency and paternity skew, may locally affect the sterile insect technique, the most commonly applied control strategy against C. capitata.

Animals↗

Parent personality traits and psychopathology associated with antisocial behaviors in childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Although a role for family and parent factors in the development of behavioral problems in childhood is often acknowledged, the roles of specific parental characteristics in relation to specific child actions need further elucidation. We studied parental "Big Five" personality traits and psychiatric diagnoses in relation to their children's antisocial diagnoses and naturalistically observed antisocial behaviors, in boys with and without the diagnosis of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). First, regardless of comorbid antisocial diagnosis, boys with ADHD, more often than comparison boys, had mothers with a major depressive episode and/or marked anxiety symptoms in the past year, and fathers with a childhood history of ADHD. Second, compared to the nondiagnosed group, boys with comorbid ADHD + Oppositional Defiant or Conduct Disorder (ODD/CD) had fathers with lower Agreeableness, higher Neuroticism, and more likelihood of having Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Third, regarding linkages between parental characteristics and child externalizing behaviors, higher rates of child overt antisocial behaviors observed in a naturalistic summer program were associated primarily with maternal characteristics, including higher Neuroticism, lower Conscientiousness, presence of Major Depression, and absence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The association of maternal Neuroticism with child aggression was larger in the ADHD than in the comparison group. In contrast, higher rates of observed child covert antisocial behaviors were associated solely with paternal characteristics, including history of substance abuse and higher Openness. Results provide external validation in parent data for a distinction between overt and covert antisocial behaviors and support inclusion of parent personality traits in family studies. The interaction of maternal Neuroticism and child ADHD in predicting child aggression is interpreted in regard to a conceptualization of child by parent "fit."

Adult↗

Female space use is the best predictor of monogamy in mammals.

Monogamy is typically considered to have evolved either because biparental care is important for offspring survival, or because males are unable to monopolize more than one female due to females being too dispersed. Here, in the first phylogenetic analysis of the evolution of monogamy in mammals, we show that neither of these explanations is consistent with the distribution of monogamy across mammal species. Monogamy evolved significantly more often in the absence of paternal care than in its presence. Furthermore, monogamy does not normally occur in species where female ranges are large. Rather, the most common feature of mammalian monogamy is that it evolved where females were solitary and occupied small, exclusive ranges, enabling males to monopolize them.

Animals↗

Evolution of exclusive paternal care in arthopods.

Exclusive male care of offspring is the rarest form of postzygotic parental care among animals and has arisen independently in only 13 arthropod taxa. To distinguish the effects of sexual selection from those of natural selection on the evolution of arthropod paternal care, predictions concerning several life-history and behavioral traits resulting from both forms of selection are made and tested across all known taxa with exclusive paternal care. Comparisons suggest parallels between prezygotic nuptial gifts and exclusive postzygotic male care and support the hypothesis that, in arthropods, male behaviors that enhance female reproductive success either directly, by releasing females from the fecundity constraints of maternal care (enhanced fecundity hypothesis), or indirectly, by identifying mates with superior genes (handicap principle), are traits on which sexual selection has acted. Under such conditions, males that are willing to guard young become preferred mates for gravid females and enjoy greater promiscuity than males that are unable or unwilling to guard. Females use nest construction or the act of guarding another female's eggs as honest signals of paternal intent and quality.

Animals↗

Male reproductive strategy and the importance of maternal status in the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella.

Although mammalian mating systems are classically characterized in terms of male competition and polygyny, it is becoming increasingly apparent that alternative male strategies and female choice may play important roles. For example, females who mate with males from a dominant dynasty risk producing inbred offspring. Many pinnipeds are highly polygynous, but in some species alternative male strategies such as aquatic mating appear to be important, even when behavioral observations suggest strong polygyny. Here, we analyze male reproductive success in the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella, an otariid described behaviorally as being highly polygynous, by combining a microsatellite paternity analysis spanning seven consecutive breeding seasons with detailed behavioral data on both sexes. Territorial males fathered 59% of 660 pups analyzed from our study colony. Male reproductive skew was considerable, with a quarter of all paternities assigned to just 12 top individuals on a beach where mean annual pup production was 635. Most males were successful for only a single season, but those able to return over successive years enjoyed rapidly increasing success with each additional season of tenure. We found no evidence of alternative male reproductive tactics such as aquatic or sneaky terrestrial mating. However, paternity was strongly influenced by maternal status. Females observed on the beach without a pup were significantly less likely to conceive to a sampled territorial male than equivalent females that did pup. In addition, their pups carried combinations of paternal alleles that were less likely to be found on the study beach and exhibited lower levels of shared paternity. Thus, from a territorial male's perspective, not all females offer equal opportunities for fertilization.

Animals↗

Changes in plasma androgen levels associated with changes in male reproductive behavior in a brood cycling marine fish.

Like many paternal-caring fishes, male garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) exhibit changes in reproductive behavior during the course of a brood cycle. The purpose of this study was to compare plasma levels of testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone among males in different phases of the brood cycle. These phases are characterized by differences in male courtship, nest maintenance, and egg fanning behavior. Blood samples were taken from wild-caught males, and plasma androgen levels were measured using radioimmunoassay techniques. Androgen levels among males in different phases of the brood cycle were concordant with differences in courtship behavior and also showed a general, positive correspondence with nest maintenance behavior. Levels were nearly inversely related to egg fanning rates. These relationships were independent of seasonal or population level environmental effects. These data suggest a strong three-way relationship among androgen levels, reproductive behavior, and stimuli associated with the progressing brood cycle.

Androgens↗

The impact of paternal alcoholism and maternal social position on boys' school adjustment, pubertal maturation and sexual behavior: a test of two competing hypotheses.

Two competing hypotheses concerning the effects of stressful environments on the onset of puberty were tested using longitudinal data for a sample of boys from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Paternal alcoholism and maternal social position were used as indicators of family stress. School placement was monitored from school entry to 14 years of age. Teachers rated the boys' disruptive and anxious behaviors, while the boys reported on parenting behaviors at 10 years of age. Pubertal maturation, age of first sexual intercourse and sexual behavior were assessed between 11 and 14 years of age. The prepubertal data indicated that boys with an alcoholic father, or a mother from a low social position, were more stressed and had more behavior problems: the boys with alcoholic fathers perceived their parents as being more punitive, and as setting fewer rules concerning their behavior; those who had at least one maladjusted parent were more often placed out of an age-appropriate regular classroom, and were rated more disruptive and more anxious by their teachers. Paradoxically, the results for the onset of puberty gave support to the two rival hypotheses. Paternal alcoholism led to a delay of male pubertal onset, as suggested by the hypothesis that stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and inhibits the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. However, sons of alcoholic fathers had more frequent sexual intercourse and more sexual partners, as suggested by the evolutionary theory of socialization. High maternal social position acted as a protective factor for school placement of boys with an alcoholic father. These results challenged a key hypothesis of the evolutionary theory of socialization for males. They indicated that the link between childhood family environment, behavior development, pubertal maturation and sexual promiscuity are more complex than anticipated.

Adolescent↗

The expression and possible origins of depression in male adolescent delinquents.

The literature on adolescent delinquent behaviour and psychopathy contains the view that much of the delinquent behaviour is masking a depressive underlay, and that psychopaths may be in a chronic state of helplessness which they defend against through their anti-social behaviour. The current study examined the levels of trait depression in two groups of adolescent male offenders in a state training school. The group classified as anti-social personalities showed higher levels of trait depression than a group of first committals. The role of a perceived lack of paternal care, and, to a lesser extent, maternal over-protection emerged as the main variables explaining the variance in the trail depression scores. The quality of parental care appeared more important than continuity, with perceived affectionless control being significantly related to high trait depression scores. The importance of the mother in the development of persistent anti-social behaviour was highlighted as was the role of the father in relation to trait depression and overall delinquent development.

Acting Out↗

Behavioral correlates of male mating success in a multisire flock as determined by DNA fingerprinting.

The fertility of an individual rooster within a multi-sire flock may be influenced by a number of behavioral considerations, including frequency and timing of matings and the male's position in the social dominance hierarchy. The relationship between behavior and fertility has proven difficult to assess, however, because there are a limited number of heritable morphological traits that can be used to determine paternity. The objectives of the present study were to use DNA fingerprinting to determine paternity in domestic fowl and to assess some behavioral and physiological correlates of mating success. Sixty day-old chicks from each of two commercial breeds, DeKalb White Leghorn (L) and Warren Color-Sexed (W), were reared in either same-breed or mixed-breed groups. At 43 wk of age, all females and six randomly selected males were mixed into one large pen. Male aggressive and mating behaviors were recorded over a 4-mo period. Fertility of individual sires was determined by DNA fingerprinting and pedigree analysis of chicks. Dominance rank and the frequencies of both completed matings and mating attempts were positively correlated with fertility (P less than .01). In addition, wing flapping was correlated with both dominance (P less than .001) and fertility (P less than .05). There was no correlation between fertility and plasma testosterone. There were breed effects on dominance status, with W dominating L. Multiple paternity was demonstrated in 4 out of 10 families by DNA fingerprinting. The present study is the first one to demonstrate a correlation between dominance and fertility in a flock containing several males of the same breed and morphology.

Animals↗

Childhood antecedents of antisocial behavior: parental alcoholism and physical abusiveness.

Hierarchical logistic regression was used to assess the independent and interactive effects of paternal alcoholism and physical child abuse on antisocial behavior in young adult men. Men with alcoholic fathers (N = 131) did not report or exhibit more antisocial behavior than comparison subjects (N = 70). Men with physical abuse histories, however, reported more aggressive and antisocial behaviors during a clinical interview and were rated by a clinical interviewer as more likely to act out aggression. Arrest records did not distinguish the groups. There was no evidence that paternal alcoholism and childhood victimization interacted to increase the risk of antisocial behavior.

Acting Out↗

Parental values, reinforcement, and young children's prosocial behavior: a longitudinal study.

In this study, the authors assessed the relation of parental reinforcement and parental values to young children's prosocial behaviors. Parents' dyadic interactions with their 1- to 2-year-old children were videotaped in the home on two occasions approximately 6 months apart. The children also were videotaped playing with a peer at 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years of age. Parental reinforcement of the children's prosocial behaviors was coded, as were the children's prosocial behaviors with the peer. The frequency of girls' spontaneous prosocial behaviors decreased in the early years; modest consistency was observed for boys (but not girls) across the two parental sessions. No relation existed between the frequency of children's prosocial behaviors with their parents and their behaviors with peers. Both maternal and paternal valuing of compliance were negatively related to the mothers' use of reinforcement for children's spontaneous prosocial behaviors. Parental reinforcement of compliant prosocial behaviors was negatively related to children's compliance with a peer's request for prosocial behavior and positively related to defensive behavior with the peer. Fathers' valuing of prosocial behavior was associated with children's compliance with the peer's requests for prosocial action. Parents who valued compliance had children who exhibited low levels of compliant prosocial behaviors with the peer, possibly because of the depressed level of peer interaction.

Child, Preschool↗

When infants look to their parents: II. Twelve-month-olds' response to conflicting parental emotional signals.

12-months-olds were seen in a laboratory procedure in which they were given happy, fearful, and conflicting emotional signals by their mothers and fathers with reference to 5 unusual toy stimuli. Measures included: positive and negative affect, affect lability, and approach and proximity behavior toward the toy. Infants did not "select" a signal on the basis of a maternal or paternal primacy in emotional referencing, but responded to both signals and experienced conflict. They showed increased negative affect and decreased positive affect and toy exploration with conflicting signals compared with both happy and with fearful signals alone. Greater levels of lability were not found with conflicting signals. Marked differences among infants in capacity and style of coping with conflict were observed, as were a variety of specific conflict responses, such as agitated sucking, rocking, avoidance, extreme motor inhibition, aimless or disoriented behavior, and transient, unintegrated affect expressions.

Arousal↗

Neonatal anesthesia for studies of hamster parental behavior when infanticidal aggression is a possibility.

Experiments involving investigation of the neuroendocrine basis for paternal care in rodents risk activation of aggressive behavior toward pups. To minimize pain and suffering during tests of parental responsiveness requiring retrieval of a displaced pup to its nest, a method of anesthetizing the pup was developed in Djungarian hamsters, Phodopus campbelli. A surgical plane of anesthesia, as measured by criteria, such as respiratory depression, loss of the pedal reflex, and failure to increase respiratory rate or to vocalize in response to handling, was achieved by use of intraperitoneal administration of a combination of ketamine and xylazine. Both parents (tested separately) expressed normal behavior toward anesthetized pups. In random order, a saline-injected or anesthetized pup was displaced from its nest in the home cage. There were no differences in pick-up or retrieval rates between saline and anesthetized pups for either parent. A third test using an unmanipulated pup confirmed that parental behavior was not reduced toward an anesthetized pup. However, if anesthetized pups were tested first among littermates, retrieval by males was less likely. This method will, therefore, underestimate retrieval behavior in males, but not females. Adult male hamsters that had never been parents also expressed expected behavior by attacking the pup in 45% of cases. This method provides an efficient and effective means of protecting pups while allowing adults to express a wide range of parental and infanticidal behaviors. It also has application in behavioral screening of transgenic strains toward unrelated young.

Anesthesia↗