Life History Network in a Postconflict Socioecology: The Effect of Childhood Environment

The present study aimed to investigate the extent to which violent intergroup conflict may be associated with human life history trajectories.

We examined life histories in a postconflict socioecology (Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo: N = 699) and compared them with a control condition (Serbia: N = 628) using the network analysis approach.

Participants from the postconflict environment had higher number of children and reproduction planning, followed by lower age of first reproduction which suggest accelerated life histories. Network analysis showed that fertility and mating-related events in the control ecology were relatively independent from childhood environmental conditions, while fertility itself was positively associated with current socioeconomic status. In contrast, fertility and mating were linked with childhood economic family status and stability of the environment in the postconflict condition; current socioeconomic status was only related to childhood economic status in this network. Short-term mating and the onset of sexual behavior were more strongly positively related to the age of first reproduction in the postconflict socioecology, compared to the control socioecology. Fertility was positively associated with long-term mating and pregnancy planning, and negatively linked with the age of first reproduction in both ecological conditions.

Obtained findings are discussed within the theoretical frameworks of fast-slow continuum in life history trajectories and predictive adaptive response hypothesis. The results provide insights into how intergroup conflict may affect human life history dynamics and highlights the fruitfulness of using the network approach to analyze life history trajectories.