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The Association Between the Postnatal Environment and Behavioral Sexual Dimorphism in Pre-school Children in Single-Child Families in Qingdao, China

Received: 2 December 2016     Published: 5 December 2016
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Abstract

Previous studies have shown that prenatal exposure to chemical or non-chemical endocrine disruptors can alter children’s sexually dimorphic behavior. To date, no study has examined the possible influence of postnatal-environmental factors on the gender-specific play behavior of childhood. We hypothesized that the postnatal environment in early childhood might also influence the sexual dimorphism of the brain. Parents or guardians of pre-school children completed questionnaires about their postnatal living environment. The Pre-School Activities Inventory (PSAI) was used to measure sexually dimorphic play behavior. Sex-stratified analyses revealed that the generosity (β = 0.085, p < 0.05) and education (β = 0.142, p < 0.01) of fathers predicted higher feminine scores in girls and lower feminine (β = -0.144, p < 0.001) or higher masculine scores (β = 0.129, p < 0.01) in boys. Indices of chemical exposure (i.e., indoor decoration, biomass pollution, hand cleanliness, and passive smoking) had an association with PSAI scores in both girls and boys. Patterns of sensory processing, including tactile and proprioceptive senses scores and sensory underresponsivity scores, also were associated with PSAI scores. An association of PSAI scores with taking drugs during pregnancy and gestational nutrition was evident only in boys. Our results indicate that a social environment of parental guidance and an indoor environment of exposure to chemical are associated with behavioral sexual dimorphism. Children’s patterns of sensory processing also contributed to behavioral sexual dimorphism. Information about the gestational environment also should be considered when studying the development of sexual dimorphism in boys.

Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 4, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.sjph.20160406.24
Page(s) 500-505
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2016. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Postnatal Exposure, Play Behavior, Pre-school Activities Inventory, Sexual Dimorphism, Neurodevelopment, Preschool

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Bingling Wang, Qian Zhang, Guochang Feng, Zhongqing Sun, Lijuan Wang, et al. (2016). The Association Between the Postnatal Environment and Behavioral Sexual Dimorphism in Pre-school Children in Single-Child Families in Qingdao, China. Science Journal of Public Health, 4(6), 500-505. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20160406.24

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    ACS Style

    Bingling Wang; Qian Zhang; Guochang Feng; Zhongqing Sun; Lijuan Wang, et al. The Association Between the Postnatal Environment and Behavioral Sexual Dimorphism in Pre-school Children in Single-Child Families in Qingdao, China. Sci. J. Public Health 2016, 4(6), 500-505. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20160406.24

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    AMA Style

    Bingling Wang, Qian Zhang, Guochang Feng, Zhongqing Sun, Lijuan Wang, et al. The Association Between the Postnatal Environment and Behavioral Sexual Dimorphism in Pre-school Children in Single-Child Families in Qingdao, China. Sci J Public Health. 2016;4(6):500-505. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20160406.24

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  • @article{10.11648/j.sjph.20160406.24,
      author = {Bingling Wang and Qian Zhang and Guochang Feng and Zhongqing Sun and Lijuan Wang and Xiao Jia and Shutao Pang and Ruqin Gao},
      title = {The Association Between the Postnatal Environment and Behavioral Sexual Dimorphism in Pre-school Children in Single-Child Families in Qingdao, China},
      journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
      volume = {4},
      number = {6},
      pages = {500-505},
      doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20160406.24},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20160406.24},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20160406.24},
      abstract = {Previous studies have shown that prenatal exposure to chemical or non-chemical endocrine disruptors can alter children’s sexually dimorphic behavior. To date, no study has examined the possible influence of postnatal-environmental factors on the gender-specific play behavior of childhood. We hypothesized that the postnatal environment in early childhood might also influence the sexual dimorphism of the brain. Parents or guardians of pre-school children completed questionnaires about their postnatal living environment. The Pre-School Activities Inventory (PSAI) was used to measure sexually dimorphic play behavior. Sex-stratified analyses revealed that the generosity (β = 0.085, p < 0.05) and education (β = 0.142, p < 0.01) of fathers predicted higher feminine scores in girls and lower feminine (β = -0.144, p < 0.001) or higher masculine scores (β = 0.129, p < 0.01) in boys. Indices of chemical exposure (i.e., indoor decoration, biomass pollution, hand cleanliness, and passive smoking) had an association with PSAI scores in both girls and boys. Patterns of sensory processing, including tactile and proprioceptive senses scores and sensory underresponsivity scores, also were associated with PSAI scores. An association of PSAI scores with taking drugs during pregnancy and gestational nutrition was evident only in boys. Our results indicate that a social environment of parental guidance and an indoor environment of exposure to chemical are associated with behavioral sexual dimorphism. Children’s patterns of sensory processing also contributed to behavioral sexual dimorphism. Information about the gestational environment also should be considered when studying the development of sexual dimorphism in boys.},
     year = {2016}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - The Association Between the Postnatal Environment and Behavioral Sexual Dimorphism in Pre-school Children in Single-Child Families in Qingdao, China
    AU  - Bingling Wang
    AU  - Qian Zhang
    AU  - Guochang Feng
    AU  - Zhongqing Sun
    AU  - Lijuan Wang
    AU  - Xiao Jia
    AU  - Shutao Pang
    AU  - Ruqin Gao
    Y1  - 2016/12/05
    PY  - 2016
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20160406.24
    DO  - 10.11648/j.sjph.20160406.24
    T2  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JF  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JO  - Science Journal of Public Health
    SP  - 500
    EP  - 505
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-7950
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20160406.24
    AB  - Previous studies have shown that prenatal exposure to chemical or non-chemical endocrine disruptors can alter children’s sexually dimorphic behavior. To date, no study has examined the possible influence of postnatal-environmental factors on the gender-specific play behavior of childhood. We hypothesized that the postnatal environment in early childhood might also influence the sexual dimorphism of the brain. Parents or guardians of pre-school children completed questionnaires about their postnatal living environment. The Pre-School Activities Inventory (PSAI) was used to measure sexually dimorphic play behavior. Sex-stratified analyses revealed that the generosity (β = 0.085, p < 0.05) and education (β = 0.142, p < 0.01) of fathers predicted higher feminine scores in girls and lower feminine (β = -0.144, p < 0.001) or higher masculine scores (β = 0.129, p < 0.01) in boys. Indices of chemical exposure (i.e., indoor decoration, biomass pollution, hand cleanliness, and passive smoking) had an association with PSAI scores in both girls and boys. Patterns of sensory processing, including tactile and proprioceptive senses scores and sensory underresponsivity scores, also were associated with PSAI scores. An association of PSAI scores with taking drugs during pregnancy and gestational nutrition was evident only in boys. Our results indicate that a social environment of parental guidance and an indoor environment of exposure to chemical are associated with behavioral sexual dimorphism. Children’s patterns of sensory processing also contributed to behavioral sexual dimorphism. Information about the gestational environment also should be considered when studying the development of sexual dimorphism in boys.
    VL  - 4
    IS  - 6
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Qingdao Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao, China

  • Department of Child Health Care, Maternity and Child Care Center of Huangdao District of Qingdao, Qingdao, China

  • Business Management Office of Qingdao Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao, China

  • Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene of Qingdao Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao, China

  • Microorganism and Parasite Detection Laboratory of Qingdao Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao, China

  • Department of Child Health Care, Maternity and Child Care Center of Huangdao District of Qingdao, Qingdao, China

  • Qingdao Blood Center, Qingdao, China

  • Qingdao Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Qingdao, China

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