Attachment insecurity and the biological embedding of reproductive strategies: Investigating the role of cellular aging

E. Bolhuis*, J. Belsky, W.E. Frankenhuis, I. Shalev, W. J. Hastings, M. S. Tollenaar, K. J. O'Donnell, M. G. McGill, I. Pokhvisneva, M. J. Meaney, D. T. S. Lin, J. L. MacIsaac, M. S. Kobor, C. de Weerth, R. Beijers

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Evolutionary-developmental psychologists have posited that individuals who grow up in stressful rearing circumstances follow faster life history strategies, thereby increasing their chances of reproduction. This preregistered study tested this stress-acceleration hypothesis in a low-risk longitudinal sample of 193 Dutch mother-child dyads, by investigating whether infant-mother attachment insecurity at 12 months of age predicted earlier pubertal onset and more callous-unemotional traits, aggression and risk-taking about a decade later. Also evaluated were the possible mediating roles of two biomarkers of accelerated aging (i.e., telomere length, epigenetic aging) at age 6. Structural equation modelling revealed no effects of attachment insecurity on biomarkers, pubertal timing or behavior. These null findings suggest that the explanatory value of evolutionary-developmental thinking might be restricted to high-risk samples, though unexplored variation in susceptibility to environmental influences might also explain the null findings.

Original languageEnglish
Article number108446
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages13
JournalBiological Psychology
Volume175
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2022

Keywords

  • Life history theory
  • Attachment
  • Antisocial and risky behavior
  • Pubertal onset
  • Child development
  • Cellular aging

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