Pubertal and Reproductive Maturity Start Earlier in Daughters of Divorced Fathers

It is a popular concept that girls who grew up without fathers tend to mature and start reproduction earlier than most because the absence of a father is a cue for environmental harshness. According to a study reported in PsyPost, researchers discovered that girls whose fathers were divorced from their mothers or absent started reproduction about 9.2 months ahead of those with at least their father or parents. These girls also experienced earlier reproduction or pubertal maturation 7.4 months than girls whose fathers died during adolescence.

According to the research of Markus Valge and his colleagues published in Science Direct, the hypothesis that pubertal maturation is earlier in girls growing up without a father is commonly studied in contemporary Western societies where paternal absence is usually due to divorce and abandonment. However, the team conducted a large retrospective cohort study of mid-twentieth century Estonia girls.

Methodology

The research studied orphan girls and daughters of divorced fathers in Estonia, and these were matched with girls with both parents. The study also included the age, birth year, origin, and socio-economic position of the family. The researchers were interested in checking whether the absence of a father, mother, or both was associated with the early onset of puberty among these girls. The large data set included girls born between 1936 and 1962 in Estonia.

According to the research, daughters of divorced fathers started pubertal maturation based on breast development rate and axillary hair 9.2 months earlier than the girls from bi-parental homes. These girls also physically matured earlier than girls whose fathers were dead.

However, in a related and earlier study, published in The Royal Society Publishing, with Valge's team also using the data set from the adolescent Estonian girls who lost their fathers during the Second World War, in terms of pubertal maturation, their fathers' deaths did not affect said development. Instead, it reduced or decreased the reproductive success of a girl in her lifetime.

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Measures of Maturation

The team in the earlier study relied on the development rate of adolescent girls. They tested whether or not a girl's paternal absence will accelerate or increase her sexual maturation and reproduction, and whether a father's death suppresses a daughter's growth. Their findings, however, proved their hypothesis otherwise. A father's death had not affected a daughter's measures of maturation. In addition, women from families whose fathers died during adolescence had significantly fewer children than those whose fathers were alive during their youth.

The researchers in the study tested if stressful experiences during one's childhood affect sexual or pubertal maturation, behaviors, and reproductive outcomes. Harsh childhood environments may not necessarily translate to faster sexual maturation when controlling for factors like education. However, the team saw an association between the age of girls when they had their first child in contrast to when their parents were divorced.

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