Childhood experience and the onset of menarche: A test of a sociobiological model.

Tests predictions about psychosocial factors in the onset of menarche using data from a longitudinal study of 16-year-old girls. Proposals of Belsky, et al (1991) of a model that seeks to explain individual differences in maturation timing in terms of stressful childhood experiences; The effect of family stressors, such as family conflict or father absence, on menarche; Benefits of a genetic inheritance model; Method; Results; Discussion.