Cues of paternal uncertainty and father to child physical abuse as reported by mothers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: Paternity is uncertain, so if paternal feelings evolved to promote fitness, we might expect them to vary in response to variables indicative of paternity probability. We therefore hypothesized that the risk of lapses of paternal affection, including abusive assaults on children, will be exacerbated by cues of non-paternity. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 331 Brazilian mothers, interviewed about 1 focal child (age 1-12) residing …