Xu Chen, Sun Shijin, Zhang Xiaoyan, Wang Zhechen
School of Social Development and Public Policy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
School of Humanities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Front Psychol. 2025 Feb 25;16:1548676. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1548676. eCollection 2025.
Evolutionary-developmental theories propose that early life adversity (ELA) shapes mating patterns. However, evidence is mixed, and the extent to which ELA influences attitudes and perceptions remains underexplored. This research takes a dimensional approach to examine how different forms of ELA relate to mating outcomes and social perceptions in men across two distinct samples.
Study 1 analysed a U.S. sample ( = 1036) using Add Health Wave V data. Study 2 examined a Chinese sample ( = 292), collecting data on childhood SES, childhood environmental unpredictability, sociosexual orientation, and perceptions of sexual harassment.
Study 1 found that financial deprivation was associated with a higher number of partner pregnancies and live births but not with the number of sexual partners. Study 2 revealed that childhood unpredictability was positively associated with misperceptions of sexual interest, defined as perceiving mutual romantic interest even when one party experiences unwanted sexual attention. Additionally, childhood SES was positively associated with misperceptions of sexual interest but negatively associated with recognising boundary violations.
These findings suggest that ELA may influence mating-related outcomes through distinct pathways: childhood unpredictability shapes sociosexual orientation, while deprivation-based adversity involves more multifaceted mechanisms, such as cognitive socialisation processes. This research underscores the need for more nuanced predictions within life history theory and highlights the importance of integrating frameworks that account for the cognitive and developmental consequences of deprivation.
进化发展理论提出，早期生活逆境（ELA）塑造交配模式。然而，证据不一，ELA对态度和认知的影响程度仍未得到充分探索。本研究采用维度方法，考察两种不同样本中男性的不同形式的ELA如何与交配结果和社会认知相关联。
研究1使用“青少年健康纵向研究”第五波数据对一个美国样本（n = 1036）进行分析。研究2考察了一个中国样本（n = 292），收集了关于童年社会经济地位、童年环境不可预测性、社会性行为取向以及对性骚扰认知的数据。
研究1发现，经济贫困与伴侣怀孕和活产的数量较多相关，但与性伴侣的数量无关。研究2表明，童年不可预测性与对性兴趣的错误认知呈正相关，对性兴趣的错误认知定义为即使一方经历了 unwanted sexual attention，仍认为双方有相互的浪漫兴趣。此外，童年社会经济地位与对性兴趣的错误认知呈正相关，但与识别边界侵犯呈负相关。
这些发现表明，ELA可能通过不同途径影响与交配相关的结果：童年不可预测性塑造社会性行为取向，而基于贫困的逆境涉及更多方面的机制，如认知社会化过程。本研究强调了在生命史理论中进行更细致预测的必要性，并突出了整合考虑贫困的认知和发展后果的框架的重要性。
