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Father absence and age at first birth in a western sample

Boothroyd, L.G.; Craig, P.S.; Crossman, R.J.; Perrett, D.I.

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Authors

R.J. Crossman

D.I. Perrett



Abstract

Objectives: Although a large literature has shown links between “father absence” during early childhood, and earlier puberty and sexual behavior in girls in Western populations, there are only a few studies which have looked at timing of reproduction, and only one of these fully incorporated childless respondents to investigate whether father absence is associated with increased hazard of becoming a parent at one time point (early) more than another. Here we sought to clarify exactly when, if at all, father absence increased the likelihood of first birth in a Western sample. Methods: An online sample of 954 women reported on their childhood living circumstances, their age of menarche, first coitus, first pregnancy, and first birth. Results: Cox regression and Kaplan–Meier plots showed an increased risk of becoming a parent for father absent women in their 20s, but no overall greater likelihood of parenthood. Conclusion: These data support the suggestion that father absence is associated with an acceleration of reproductive behavior in Western samples, rather than a simple increase in likelihood of reproduction.

Citation

Boothroyd, L., Craig, P., Crossman, R., & Perrett, D. (2013). Father absence and age at first birth in a western sample. American Journal of Human Biology, 25(3), 366-369. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22378

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Jun 1, 2013
Deposit Date Nov 22, 2013
Publicly Available Date Jan 14, 2014
Journal American Journal of Human Biology
Print ISSN 1042-0533
Electronic ISSN 1520-6300
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 25
Issue 3
Pages 366-369
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22378

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Copyright Statement
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Boothroyd, L. G., Craig, P. S., Crossman, R. J. and Perrett, D. I. (2013), Father absence and age at first birth in a western sample. American Journal of Human Biology, 25 (3): 366–369, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22378. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.





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