Citation
Richardson, G. B.; Barbaro, N.; Nedelec, J. L.; & Liu, H. (2023). Testing Environmental Effects on Age at Menarche and Sexual Debut within a Genetically Informative Twin Design. Hum Nat.Abstract
Life-history-derived models of female sexual development propose menarche timing as a key regulatory mechanism driving subsequent sexual behavior. The current research utilized a twin subsample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health; n = 514) to evaluate environmental effects on timings of menarche and sexual debut, as well as address potential confounding of these effects within a genetically informative design. Results show mixed support for each life history model and provide little evidence rearing environment is important in the etiology of individual differences in age at menarche. This research calls into question the underlying assumptions of life-history-derived models of sexual development and highlights the need for more behavior genetic research in this area.URL
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-023-09451-5Keyword(s)
Add HealthNotes
1936-4776Reference Type
Journal ArticleJournal Title
Hum NatAuthor(s)
Richardson, G. B.Barbaro, N.
Nedelec, J. L.
Liu, H.