This study investigates the mediating roles of perceived control and time orientation in the relationship between early life adversity and a trade-off between reproductive traits (age at first childbirth, number of children) and health status. Using data from the European Values Study (EVS) and the European Social Survey (ESS), a cross-validated structural equation model revealed that early life adversity, perceived control, and time orientation are associated with this trade-off. However, perceived control and time orientation only mediate a small portion of the effect of early life adversity on the reproduction-health trade-off.

Bence Csaba Farkas, Valérian Chambon, Pierre O. Jacquet