Departments of Psychology and Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Dev Psychobiol. 2021 Apr;63(3):556-571. doi: 10.1002/dev.22029. Epub 2020 Aug 31.
External predictive adaptive response (PAR) models assume that developmental exposures to stress carry predictive information about the future state of the environment, and that development of a faster life history (LH) strategy in this context functions to match the individual to this expected harsh state. More recently internal PAR models have proposed that early somatic condition (i.e., physical health) critically regulates development of LH strategies to match expected future somatic condition. Here we test the integrative hypothesis that poor physical health mediates the relation between early adversity and faster LH strategies. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study (birth to age 16; N = 1,388) of mostly African American participants with prenatal substance exposure. Results demonstrated that both external environmental conditions early in life (prenatal substance exposure, socioeconomic adversity, caregiver distress/depression, and adverse family functioning) and internal somatic condition during preadolescence (birthweight/gestational age, physical illness) uniquely predicted the development of faster LH strategies in adolescence (as indicated by more risky sexual and aggressive behavior). Consistent with the integrative hypothesis, the effect of caregiver distress/depression on LH strategy was mostly mediated by worse physical health. Discussion highlights the implications of these findings for theory and research on stress, development, and health.
外部预测性适应反应 (PAR) 模型假设，个体在发育过程中暴露于压力之下会获得关于未来环境状态的预测信息，而在这种情况下发展出更快的生活史 (LH) 策略可以使个体适应预期的恶劣状态。最近，内部 PAR 模型提出，早期的躯体状况（即身体健康）对于 LH 策略的发展具有关键的调节作用，以适应预期的未来躯体状况。在这里，我们检验了一个综合假说，即较差的身体健康状况在早期逆境与更快的 LH 策略之间起中介作用。该研究的数据来自一项对主要为非裔美国参与者进行的纵向研究（从出生到 16 岁；N=1388），这些参与者在子宫内接触过物质、经历过社会经济逆境、照顾者的困扰/抑郁以及不良的家庭功能。研究结果表明，生命早期的外部环境条件（子宫内物质暴露、社会经济逆境、照顾者困扰/抑郁以及不良的家庭功能）和青春期的内部躯体状况（出生体重/胎龄、身体疾病）都可以预测青春期更快的 LH 策略的发展（表现为更冒险的性行为和攻击行为）。与综合假说一致，照顾者困扰/抑郁对 LH 策略的影响主要是通过较差的身体健康状况来介导的。讨论强调了这些发现对压力、发展和健康理论和研究的意义。
