Primate Evidence on the Late Health Effects of Early Life Adversity
This paper exploits a unique ongoing experiment to analyze the effects of early rearing conditions on physical and mental health in a sample of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). We analyze the health records of 231 monkeys which were randomly allocated at birth across three rearing conditions: Mother Rearing, Peer Rearing, and Surrogate Peer Rearing. We show that the lack of a secure attachment relationship in the early years engendered by adverse rearing conditions has detrimental long-term effects on health which are not compensated by a normal social environment later in life.
Published Versions
G. Conti & C. Hansman & J. J. Heckman & M. F. X. Novak & A. Ruggiero & S. J. Suomi, 2012. "Primate evidence on the late health effects of early-life adversity," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol 109(23), pages 8866-8871.