University of Wisconsin research shows that young girls who have been physically abused don’t tend to release cortisol—the “fight-or-flight” hormone that boys release—in stressful situations; instead their bodies respond with oxytocin, sometimes called the “cuddle chemical” (which is the thing that makes females want to bond—perhaps especially, and especially inconveniently for the modern woman, after orgasm). The hypothesis is that biologically, when young females are stressed, their bodies may actually go toward the mating imperative, so that they form relationships and get their genes out there sooner before, you know, they perish.
Of course, young girls who are abused may not be around the greatest people to form relationships with. Still, though, their own bodies’ chemical response may drive them to it more and sooner.
“For example, release of oxytocin in a stressful or threatening situation or in the context of an inappropriate sexual partner or peer may lead to trouble for these girls,” [UW-Madison psychology professor Seth] Pollak says. [Leslie Seltzer, a postdoc, and her team conducted the research.] “Indeed, abused girls are at heightened risk for early puberty and initiation of sexual behavior, teen pregnancy, and selection of aggressive, violent partners.”
The UW-Madison article indicates that the corresponding paper is in the latest issue of Child Development, but I can’t find it, and it looks like it’s behind a paywall, anyway. (Too bad; I would also like to read “‘Two for Flinching’: Children’s and Adolescents’ Narrative Accounts of Harming Their Friends and Siblings.”)
Thanks again, Nature.