The lure of antagonistic social strategy in unstable socioecological environment: Residential mobility facilitates individuals' antisocial behavior

Slow Life History Strategies and Increases in Externalizing and Internalizing Problems During the COVID‐19 Pandemic

“…Within certain bounds, they adaptively respond to cues from the present living environments and regulate behavior accordingly. Grouped together as environmental adversities, harshness and unpredictability are indicated by such proxies as change of employment or residence (e.g., Simpson, Griskevicius, Kuo, Sung, & Collins, 2012 ; Zuo, Huang, Cai, & Wang, 2018 ), dangerous neighborhoods (e.g., Hampson, Andrews, Barckley, Gerrard, & Gibbons, 2016 ), chaos in the home (e.g., Del Giudice, Hinnant, Ellis, & El‐Sheikh, 2012 ), negative life events (e.g., Simpson et al., 2012 ), and low family income or socioeconomic status, income change, and income to needs ratio (e.g., Belsky, Schlomer, & Ellis, 2012 ; Doom, Vanzomeren‐Dohm, & Simpson, 2016 ; Szepsenwol, Shai, Zamir, & Simpson, 2021 ). Consistent with LH predictions, these proxies of environmental adversities are correlated with fast LH strategies (e.g., Brumbach, Figueredo, & Ellis, 2009 ; Chen, Shi, & Sun, 2017 ; Stamos, McLaughlin, Bruyneel, & Dewitte, 2021 ) and fast LH traits such as aggression (e.g., Doom et al., 2016 ; Ellis, Shakiba, Adkins, & Lester, 2021 ; Simpson et al., 2012 ).…”

Environmental harshness and unpredictability, life history, and social and academic behavior of adolescents in nine countries.

“…Childhood environmental harshness and unpredictability have been represented by microenvironmental proxies such as low familial socioeconomic status (SES; Belsky, Schlomer, & Ellis, 2012), which in many urban areas is associated with drugs, crime, and dangerous neighborhoods (Chang & Lu, 2018); employment and residential changes (Doom, Vanzomeren-Dohm, & Simpson, 2016; Zuo, Huang, Cai, & Wang, 2018) or familial mobility (Nettle, Coall, & Dickins, 2011); homelessness (Masten et al, 2014); shorter life expectancy of the local population (Low, Hazel, Parker, & Welch, 2008); exposure to violence and crime (Brumbach, Figueredo, & Ellis, 2009) as well as rundown neighborhood conditions, including vandalism and the presence of drug addicts or gangs (Upchurch, Aneshensel, Sucoff, & Levy-Storms, 1999); familial turmoil (Chang & Lu, 2018); harsh parenting (Mell, Safra, Algan, Baumard, & Chevallier, 2018); and parental absence (Belsky et al, 1991). These indicators of early environmental risks have been associated with such fast LH characteristics as early menarche (Belsky et al, 1991); early commencement (Simpson, Griskevicius, Kuo, Sung, & Collins, 2012) and high frequency (Baumer & South, 2001) of sexual activity; social deviance and substance use (Brumbach et al, 2009); aggression and externalizing behaviors (Doom et al, 2016; Simpson et al, 2012; Zuo et al, 2018) and other problematic behaviors (Figueredo et al, 2006); and academic underperformance (Obradović et al, 2009). However, there is also overlapping between fast and slow LH especially in internalizing behavioral manifestations (Del Giudice, 2014, 2018).…”

Aggression and risk‐taking as adaptive implementations of fast life history strategy

“…These include harsh parenting (Mell, Safra, Algan, Baumard, & Chevallier, ) and parental absence (Belsky et al, ), employment and residential changes, including homelessness (Doom, Vanzomeren‐Dohm, & Simpson, ; Masten et al, ; Zuo, Huang, Cai, & Wang, ), exposure to gangs, violence, and crime (Brumbach, Figueredo, & Ellis, ; Upchurch, Aneshensel, Sucoff, & Levy‐Storms, ), and low socioeconomic status (SES) (Belsky, Schlomer, & Ellis, ), which being associated in many urban areas with drug use, crime, and dangerous neighborhoods represents unsafe more than resource shortages (Chang & Lu, ). Both directly and indirectly through child perceived stress (Belsky et al, ; Del Giudice, Ellis, & Shirtcliff, ), these indicators of early environmental unsafety have been associated with fast LH characteristics including early menarche (Belsky et al, ), early initiation of sex (Simpson, Griskevicius, Kuo, Sung, & Collins, ) and higher frequency of sexual activity (Baumer & South, ), risky substance use behavior (Brumbach et al, ), and aggressive, antisocial, and externalizing behaviors (Chang et al, ; Doom et al, ; Simpson et al, ; Zuo et al, ). Parental separation has been extensively documented as facilitating fast LH and its corresponding physical effects (e.g., early menarche; Ellis, ) and behavioral manifestations (e.g., antagonistic behavior; Ellis et al, ; Newcomber & Udry, ).…”