title: The role of testosterone in coordinating male life history strategies: The moderating effects of the androgen receptor CAG repeat polymorphism.
abstract: Partnered fathers often have lower testosterone than single non-parents, which is theorized to relate to elevated testosterone (T) facilitating competitive behaviors and lower T contributing to nurturing. Cultural- and individual-factors moderate the expression of such psychobiological profiles. Less is known about genetic variation's role in individual psychobiological responses to partnering and fathering, particularly as related to T. We examined the exon 1 CAG (polyglutamine) repeat (CAGn) within the androgen receptor (AR) gene. AR CAGn shapes T's effects after it binds to AR by affecting AR transcriptional activity. Thus, this polymorphism is a strong candidate to influence individual-level profiles of "androgenicity." While males with a highly androgenic profile are expected to engage in a more competitive-oriented life history strategy, low androgenic men are at increased risk of depression, which could lead to similar outcomes for certain familial dynamics, such as marriage stability and parenting. Here, in a large longitudinal study of Filipino men (n=683), we found that men who had high androgenicity (elevated T and shorter CAGn) or low androgenicity (lower T and longer CAGn) showed elevated likelihood of relationship instability over the 4.5-year study period and were also more likely be relatively uninvolved with childcare as fathers. We did not find that CAGn moderated men's T responses to the fatherhood transition. In total, our results provide evidence for invested fathering and relationship stability at intermediate levels of androgenicity and help inform our understanding of variation in male reproductive strategies and the individual hormonal and genetic differences that underlie it.
authors: Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States; The Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, United States. Electronic address: lgettler@nd.edu.
authors: Lee T
authors: LT
authors: Gettler
authors: Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States.
authors: Calen P
authors: CP
authors: Ryan
authors: Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States; Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States.
authors: Dan T A
authors: DTA
authors: Eisenberg
authors: Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States.
authors: Margarita
authors: M
authors: Rzhetskaya
authors: Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States; Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States; Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States.
authors: M Geoffrey
authors: MG
authors: Hayes
authors: USC Office of Population Studies Foundation and Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History, College of Arts and Sciences, University of San Carlos, Talamban Cebu City, Philippines.
authors: Alan B
authors: AB
authors: Feranil
authors: USC Office of Population Studies Foundation and Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History, College of Arts and Sciences, University of San Carlos, Talamban Cebu City, Philippines.
authors: Sonny Agustin
authors: SA
authors: Bechayda
authors: Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States; Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States.
authors: Christopher W
authors: CW
authors: Kuzawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D000071421:Life History Traits; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D010332:Paternal Behavior; D010679:Philippines; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology*; D018911:Trinucleotide Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C410798:AR protein, human; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D013739:Testosterone
keywords: Childcare; Divorce and separation; Fatherhood; Fathering; Marriage; Psychobiology; Reproductive ecology; Short tandem repeats; Social neuroendocrinology; Steroid receptor