Dissertation
INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT THROUGH AN EVOLUTIONARY LENS ACROSS THREE DOMAINS OF WOMEN’S HEALTH: DEPRESSION, SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, AND SUBSTANCE USE
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
05/2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000006480
Abstract
Human fitness relied heavily on social relationships in the ancestral past, yet it is often the case that a behavior which increases fitness for one individual may cause a fitness cost for another, resulting in interpersonal conflict. This dissertation uses an evolutionary lens to explore the relationship between interpersonal conflict and women’s health. Paper 1 draws on the hypothesis that male-male physical conflicts in the ancestral past resulted in the sexual dimorphism in upper body strength. In a population sample of US men and women we found tradeoffs between strength and immune function and a positive relationship between strength and short-term and long-term mating success. The sexual selection hypothesis predicts that the effect of strength on mating success will be greater for men than for women, and this prediction was exceptionally well-supported for partnered status and numbers of lifetime partners, suggesting the hypothesis applies to both short-and long-term mating success.
Paper 2 uses an evolutionary bargaining framework, which argues that depression is an adaptation that evolved to credibly signal need in adversity, and to coerce help during conflicts with powerful social partners by withholding valuable benefits. In a population sample of US adults, we found that grip strength is negatively associated with depression and propose that the sex difference in upper body strength is a candidate evolutionary explanation for some of the sex difference in depression.
Finally, paper 3 uses a mixed-methods approach to understand the reasons breastfeeding women choose to consume cannabis. In a sample of women from the US Pacific Northwest, the majority reported consuming cannabis to treat or manage a medical condition, especially mental health conditions, and most reported receiving no helpful guidance about cannabis consumption for their healthcare providers. This supports an evolutionary perspective on substance use as a form of self-medication.
These papers are related through an evolutionary understanding of the ubiquity of interpersonal conflict and its impact on human health and behavior. Future public health work can draw on the evolutionary medicine framework and related models to make novel predictions and solutions regarding burdensome global health issues including those related to mental health, substance use, and sexual behavior.
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Details
- Title
- INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT THROUGH AN EVOLUTIONARY LENS ACROSS THREE DOMAINS OF WOMEN’S HEALTH
- Creators
- Caroline Benning Smith
- Contributors
- Edward H Hagen (Chair)Courtney L. Meehan (Committee Member)Aaron D Blackwell (Committee Member)Robert Quinlan (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Anthropology
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 216
- Identifiers
- 99901121130201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation