Behavior problems and timing of menarche: a developmental longitudinal biometrical analysis using the NLSY-Children data

Behav Genet. 2015 Jan;45(1):51-70. doi: 10.1007/s10519-014-9676-4. Epub 2014 Sep 23.

Abstract

A powerful longitudinal data source, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth Children data, allows measurement of behavior problems (BP) within a developmental perspective linking them to menarcheal timing (MT). In a preliminary analysis, we evaluate the bivariate relationships between BP measured at different developmental periods and the timing of menarche. Correlations were not consistent with any correlational/causal relationship between BP and MT. In the major part of our study, MT was used to moderate the developmental trajectory of BP, within a genetically-informed design. Girls reaching menarche early had behavior problem variance accounted for by the shared environment; those reaching menarche with average/late timing had behavior problem differences accounted for by genetic variance. Our findings match previous empirical results in important ways, and also extend those results. A theoretical interpretation is offered in relation to a theory linking genetic/shared environmental variance to flexibility and choices available within the family in relation to BP.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Age Factors
  • Biometry
  • Child
  • Child Behavior Disorders / ethnology
  • Child Behavior Disorders / genetics*
  • Child Development
  • Ethnicity
  • Family Health
  • Female
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Menarche*
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Phenotype
  • Research Design
  • Statistics as Topic
  • United States