Positive childhood experiences linked to lower risk of depression and anxiety
Childhood experiences and early adult mental health difficulties have strong links, according to research led by the Royal College of Surgeons at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The study found that children who experienced more positive relationships and supportive environments growing up were less likely to develop depression or anxiety in early adulthood.
The positive childhood experiences include things like supportive friendships, trusting relationships with parents, and feeling safe in their local area were linked to better mental health at 24. This is even after accounting for risk factors.
The other factors include things like childhood trauma, socioeconomic circumstances and genetic predisposition to mental illness. The RCSi say that positive experiences are more than just a marker of overall lower risk, and actually make an independent contribution to long-term mental health.
In terms of the actual research, data from nearly 3,500 children tracked 10 types of positive experiences across childhood and then assessed their mental health outcomes at age 24. Participants were scored on how many positive experiences they had during childhood.
Those with higher scores were found to be significantly less likely to meet the criteria for depression, anxiety or any other psychiatric disorder by 24 years of age.
Professor David Cotter from the RCSO Department of Psychiatry, who was a senior author on the paper, said: “We often think about protecting children's mental health in terms of preventing negative experiences, and that's absolutely vital. But children also build supportive relationships and other positive experiences at home, at school and in their communities. Our findings suggest these experiences can all contribute to better mental health as young adults.”
Dr Jennifer Murphy, first author on the study, added: “Early adulthood is when many mental health conditions first become established, but we still know relatively little about which childhood experiences have the greatest influence on well-being at this stage of life.
“We hope these findings support a stronger focus in schools, health services and parenting support, on building positive experiences for children and young people, rather than concentrating solely on reducing harm.”
One of the main findings from this report is that improving children’s mental health is likely to require a reduction in adversity and increasing opportunities for positive experiences through childhood and adolescence.