Brief report: Fathersʹ and mothersʹ marital relationship predicts daughtersʹ pubertal development two years later

Parents of 50 4th grade girls reported on their marital relationships and then, two years later, rated their daughtersʹ pubertal development. Fathersʹ ratings of marital dissatisfaction, mothersʹ ratings of less emotional support from husbands, and both parentsʹ ratings of aversive marital conflict were correlated with more advanced pubertal development in daughters. Fathersʹ withdrawal behavior during marital conflict emerged as the strongest predictor. These results are consistent with evolutionary theories of pubertal development and suggest that parentsʹ impressions of the marital relationship may be linked with girlsʹ pubertal development, even in a middle-class sample with both parents present in the household. They also suggest several heretofore underexplored foci for researchers in this area, such as parentsʹ behaviors during marital conflict and fathersʹ experiences of the marital relationship.