The Impact of Socioeconomic Status across Early Life on Age at Menarche Among a Racially Diverse Population of Girls

James‐Todd, Tamarra; Tehranifar, Parisa; Rich‐Edwards, Janet W.; Titievsky, Lina; Terry, Mary Beth

doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.08.006

Cited by 100 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…-287-moderated by lower SES or inconsistent resources (e.g., Belsky et al, 2012;Deardorff et al, 2011;Ellis et al, 2009;James-Todd, Tehranifar, Rich-Edwards, Titievsky, and Terry, 2010;Simpson, Griskevicius, Kuo, Sung, and Collins, 2012). New experimental studies have even found that simply reminding women about paternal absence or disengagement (via priming) can alter their behavior (sexual thought/permissiveness, condom use) in ways consistent with psychosocial acceleration theory (DelPriore and Hill, 2013).…”

Section: Father Absence and Menarchementioning

confidence: 83%

A Life History Theory of Father Absence and Menarche: A Meta-Analysis

et al. 2014

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Is the absence of biological fathers related to their daughters' earlier age at menarche? Drawing on evolutionary psychology and life history theory, prior research has suggested such a relationship (Belsky, Steinberg, and Draper, 1991;Draper and Harpending, 1982;Ellis, 2004). Although qualitative reviews have shown narrative support for this relationship (Allison and Hyde, 2013;Ellis, 2004;Kim, Smith, and Palermiti, 1997;Susman and Dorn, 2009), no quantitative review exists to provide empirical support for this relationship or to explain mixed results. Thus, we conducted a random-effects metaanalysis of correlations (Card, 2012) on father absence and daughter menarcheal age (k = 33; N = 70,403). The weighted mean correlation was .14, 95% CI [.09, .19], suggesting that father absence was significantly related to earlier menarche; effect sizes were heterogeneous. Egger's regression (Egger, Smith, Schneider, and Minder, 1997) showed no evidence of publication bias (file-drawer effect; r = .34, p = .052). Outcome measure differences (menarcheal age vs. menarcheal age embedded in a multi-item pubertal timing scale) did not moderate effect sizes. Study year effects (Schooler, 2011) were also nonsignificant. Our findings support one aspect of the life history model and provide groundwork for subsequent examination of other pathways in the model.

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Section: Father Absence and Menarchementioning

confidence: 83%

A Life History Theory of Father Absence and Menarche: A Meta-Analysis

et al. 2014

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“…Some studies have shown that lower SES is associated with earlier menarche, 20 while others have shown no association 21 or mixed results depending on the SES indicator examined. 722 One reason for equivocal findings may be that a variety of SES indicators are utilized across studies (e.g., family income, single parenthood, parental education, parental occupation, income-to-needs ratio and poverty), yet are referred to, collectively, as SES.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, using longitudinal data from the Collaborative Perinatal Project (n=262), James-Todd et al created an SES index (comprised of income, education, and occupation) and found that a 20-unit decrease in this index at age 7 was associated with a 4-month decrease in age at menarche later in life; however, specific indicators were not examined to assess unique SES effects. 20 Few studies have included multiple indicators concurrently to tease apart unique effects, and of those that have, there appear to be differential associations depending on the indicators used. Moreover, some evidence suggests that the timing of when SES indicators are measured (e.g., at birth versus later in childhood) may influence findings.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Socioeconomic status and age at menarche: an examination of multiple indicators in an ethnically diverse cohort

Deardorff

Abrams

Ekwaru

et al. 2014

Annals of Epidemiology

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Purpose Ethnic disparities exist in US girls' ages at menarche. Overweight and low socioeconomic status (SES) may contribute to these disparities but past research has been equivocal. We sought to determine which SES indicators were associated uniquely with menarche, for which ethnic groups, and whether associations operated through overweight. Methods Using National Longitudinal Study of Youth data, we examined associations between SES indicators and age at menarche. Participants were 4851 girls and their mothers. We used survival analyses to examine whether SES, at various time points, was associated with menarche, whether body mass index (BMI) mediated associations, and whether race/ethnicity modified associations. Results Black and Hispanic girls experienced menarche earlier than whites. After adjusting for SES, there was a 50% reduction in the effect estimate for “being Hispanic” and 40% reduction for “being Black” versus “being white” on menarche. SES indicators were associated uniquely with earlier menarche, including mother's unmarried status and lower family income. Associations varied by race/ethnicity. BMI did not mediate associations. Conclusion Racial differences in menarche may in large part be due to SES differences. Future experimental or quasi-experimental studies should examine whether intervening on SES factors could have benefits for delaying menarche among Blacks and Hispanics.

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“…To address this concern, analyses were adjusted for socioeconomic disadvantage (e.g., financial problems, maternal education) and maternal characteristics (maternal depression, maternal age at menarche) that have been linked to earlier menarche (Ellis and Garber 2000; James-Todd et al 2010) and are also associated with depression in adolescence (Gilman et al 2003; Petterson and Albers 2001). In addition, risk of parental breakdown is higher in families with lower levels of household income and educational attainment (Hankin et al 2010), higher levels of maternal depression (Agid et al 1999), and for those living in rented accommodation (Lupien et al 2009).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Childhood Father Absence and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls from a UK Cohort: The Mediating Role of Early Menarche

Culpin

Heron

Araya

et al. 2014

J Abnorm Child Psychol

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Absence of the biological father in early childhood has been linked to depressive symptoms in mid-adolescent girls. Earlier studies have linked father absence to early timing of menarche, and early menarche is a risk factor for increased depressive symptoms in adolescence. No studies, however, have examined whether the association between father absence and depressive symptoms may be explained by the early onset of menarche. This study investigated whether age at menarche mediates the association between father absence in early childhood (birth to 5 years) and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls aged 14 years. The study sample comprised 7056 girls from a large UK birth cohort (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children) who provided data on age at onset of menarche and depressive symptoms assessed using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire at 14 years. Mothers provided data on father absence from the birth of the study child up to 10 years. Using structural equation modelling, we found that 15 % of the total estimated association between father absence in early childhood and depressive symptoms at 14 years was explained by early age at menarche. In addition to the mediated effect, father absence was linked to an 11 % increase in depressive symptoms in adolescence. The findings suggest that early age at menarche is one of the pathways linking early childhood father absence and depressive symptoms in mid-adolescent girls. Preventive strategies could be targeting young girls at risk for depressive symptoms as a function of stressful family factors (e.g., biological father absence) and earlier menarche.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10802-014-9960-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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The Impact of Socioeconomic Status across Early Life on Age at Menarche Among a Racially Diverse Population of Girls

Cited by 100 publications

References 34 publications

A Life History Theory of Father Absence and Menarche: A Meta-Analysis

A Life History Theory of Father Absence and Menarche: A Meta-Analysis

Socioeconomic status and age at menarche: an examination of multiple indicators in an ethnically diverse cohort

Early Childhood Father Absence and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls from a UK Cohort: The Mediating Role of Early Menarche

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