Effects Of Childhood Experiences Research Articles

Adverse childhood experiences, symptoms of anxiety and depression in adulthood: Mediation role of life history strategy

ABSTRACT Life history theory has considered the effects of childhood experiences. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of life history strategy and the moderating role of gender in the relationship between childhood experiences and symptoms of anxiety and depression in adulthood. In this study, 248 Iranians (including 162 females and 86 males) between 18 and 53 voluntarily participated and responded to all online questionnaires regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were analyzed with SPSS and macro PROCESS. The mediation analysis results demonstrated that the life history strategy mediates the relationship between childhood experiences and symptoms of anxiety and depression. The moderated mediation analysis revealed that there were no gender differences in the moderated mediation. The results have highlighted the importance of life history strategies in the association between childhood experiences and depression and anxiety symptoms and can be considered in the design of interventions based on the prevention of people’s vulnerability to mental disorders.

Do childhood adversity and sensory processing sensitivity interact to predict meaningful activity engagement in adulthood?

Introduction A core tenet of occupational therapy is that engagement in meaningful activities is integral for a person’s health and wellbeing. Childhood adversity can have lifelong impacts on physical and mental health; however, the effects of childhood experiences are dependent on the presence of susceptibility factors, including sensory processing sensitivity. To date, the effects of childhood adversity and sensory processing sensitivity have not been investigated for meaningful activity engagement. This study seeks to determine whether childhood adversity is related to engagement in meaningful activities in adulthood and whether this relationship is moderated by sensory processing sensitivity. Method Using convenience snowball sampling, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 328 adults. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires, including the Risky Families Questionnaire, Highly Sensitive Person Scale and Engagement in Meaningful Activities Scale. Results Correlational analyses found that childhood adversity was related to significantly less meaningful activity engagement in adulthood, but this relationship was not moderated by sensory processing sensitivity. Conclusion This study showed, for the first time, that a history of childhood adversity is linked to less engagement in meaningful activities in adulthood. While further research is needed, supporting meaningful activity engagement may be necessary for adults who experienced childhood adversity.

A Gender Mirrored Framework into Suicidal Ideation and Associated Risk Factors

The study assessed a gender mirrored framework into suicidal ideation and associated risk factors among undergraduates amid the prevalence of suicide ideation. A cross-sectional design was adopted for this study. The sample size was 993 respondents selected from undergraduates in public and private universities. The Statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 23 was utilized in analyzing the data from this study. Four null hypotheses on gender, suicide ideation, and four psychosocial risk factors (depression, childhood adversity, economic recession, and media reporting) were raised and tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed a highly significant correlation between gender and suicide ideation. Childhood adversity is associated with gender (r = -.149, p >0.01). The relationship between gender, suicidation, and economic recession was also significant. The study recommended that gender-specific suicide prevention and intervention programme should be provided by institutions of higher learning and the creation of awareness on the effect of childhood experience on the latter psychological health of a person.

Factors predicting the mental health of adolescents attending a faith-based Australian school system: a multi-group structural equation analysis

Background: Adolescents attending Seventh-day Adventist schools (Adventist) in Australia tend to experience good health and exhibit better health behaviors than national norms, however few studies have investigated factors predicting their mental health.Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the complex network of factors that predict the mental health status (MHS) of adolescents attending Adventist schools in Australia.Methods: A survey instrument was used to collect data from 1527 secondary school students attending Adventist schools across Australia. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine concomitantly the direct and indirect effects of childhood experiences, present attitudes and selected health behaviors on MHS.Results: Childhood family dynamics had the strongest association with MHS (βtotal = 0.33) followed by a sense of meaning and purpose (βtotal = 0.27), perceived social misfit status (βtotal = –0.19), and school academic performance (βtotal = 0.18). Multi-group analysis found significant pathway differences in the model for gender with regards to the association of meaning and purpose, physical activity and sleep quantity with MHS.Conclusions: The outcomes of the study highlight the importance of early positive childhood family dynamics and the discovery of meaning and purpose during adolescence to promote positive mental health among adolescents.

Opportunistic food consumption in relation to childhood and adult food insecurity: An exploratory correlational study

Food insecurity is associated with high body weight for women but not men in affluent Western societies. However, it is not currently known what behavioural or psychological mechanisms drive this association. Moreover, it is also unknown whether only current experience of food insecurity in adulthood is important, or there are lasting effects of childhood experience. We carried out a mock ‘taste test’ where 126 adult volunteers had the opportunity to consume and rate senergy-dense snack foods. Current food insecurity was measured using the standard USDA measure, and in addition, we used a novel measure that also captures childhood experience of food insecurity. As well as the expected gender-specific association between current food insecurity and body weight, we found some evidence for associations between food insecurity and calorie consumption in the taste test, and liking of one of the foods, chocolate. However, associations between current food insecurity and the outcomes were moderated by childhood experience of food insecurity, with greater childhood food insecurity enhancing the positive effect of current food insecurity on body weight, but attenuating the positive effect of food insecurity on calorie consumption and liking for chocolate. These findings are exploratory, but they suggest that any effects of food insecurity in adulthood on eating and the hedonic value of foods may be moderated by childhood experience.

Nature Experiences and Adults' Self-Reported Pro-environmental Behaviors: The Role of Connectedness to Nature and Childhood Nature Experiences.

This cross-sectional study aims to improve our understanding of the psychological pathways behind the commonly reported link between experiences in nature and pro-environmentalism. Particularly, we explore whether nature experiences lead to self-reported pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) and whether this relation is mediated by connectedness to nature. Additionally, we examine the possible lasting effect of childhood experiences with nature on adults’ PEB. Most studies reporting on the link between contact with nature and pro-environmentalism have been conducted in developed countries, limiting the generalization of the results. To address this gap in the literature, the current study was conducted in a developing country (Brazil) with a sample of 224 young adults. According to our findings, greater contact with nature during childhood is associated with greater contact with nature as an adult, which, in turn, is positively associated with connectedness to nature and PEB. The stimulation of pleasant experiences while in direct contact with nature during childhood seems to trigger interactions with nature in adulthood and consequently, adults embrace pro-environmental actions.

The Effects of Childhood Experience on Teacher Sensitivity: A Mediational Effect of Self-Differentiation

The Effects of Childhood Experience on Teacher Sensitivity: A Mediational Effect of Self-Differentiation

Childhood quality influences genetic sensitivity to environmental influences across adulthood: A life-course Gene × Environment interaction study.

While environmental adversity has been shown to increase risk for psychopathology, individuals differ in their sensitivity to these effects. Both genes and childhood experiences are thought to influence sensitivity to the environment, and these factors may operate synergistically such that the effects of childhood experiences on later sensitivity are greater in individuals who are more genetically sensitive. In line with this hypothesis, several recent studies have reported a significant three-way interaction (Gene × Environment × Environment) between two candidate genes and childhood and adult environment on adult psychopathology. We aimed to replicate and extend these findings in a large, prospective multiwave longitudinal study using a polygenic score of environmental sensitivity and objectively measured childhood and adult material environmental quality. We found evidence for both Environment × Environment and Gene × Environment × Environment effects on psychological distress. Children with a poor-quality material environment were more sensitive to the negative effects of a poor environment as adults, reporting significantly higher psychological distress scores. These effects were further moderated by a polygenic score of environmental sensitivity. Genetically sensitive children were more vulnerable to adversity as adults, if they had experienced a poor childhood environment but were significantly less vulnerable if their childhood environment was positive. These findings are in line with the differential susceptibility hypothesis and suggest that a life course approach is necessary to elucidate the role of Gene × Environment in the development of mental illnesses.

HOW CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES RELATE LIFE SATISFACTION

The objective of hereby study is to develop a scale with the capability of measuring childhood experiences of individuals in consideration of Turkish culture and to test whether childhood experiences predict life satisfaction of an individual. To that end, at the first stage of the study, a scale, which can measure the childhood experiences of individuals, is developed. The draft scale, which consists of 25 items, is applied on 345 undergraduates (187 female, 158 male) in academic year 2013-2014. Hereby Scale on childhood experiences consists of 2 sub-aspects (Communication Problems and Abuse of Authority), with 12 items under the former and 5 belonging to the latter. During the reliability studies on the scale, the coefficient “Cronbach’s alpha” is found to be .90. Upon the factor analysis on 17-item scale on childhood experiences, a 2-factor structure with an eigenvalue of 2.98 that explains 47% of total variance is obtained. The confirmatory factor analysis on the mentioned structure yielded the fit index values as RMSEA= .047, GFI= .91, CFI= .91, AGFI= .90, NFI= .90, NNFI= .90 and SRMR= .048, respectively. At the second stage of the study, the working group comprised a total of 323 graduate individuals, with 187 (59%) females and 135 (41%) males. At the second stage, the effects of childhood experiences of individuals on their ego, as well as the relation between ego and life satisfaction, are explored. It is concluded that the negative self-image predicts the life satisfaction of an individual at a negative rate of -.32. Article visualizations:

Loss of Control and Self-Regulation: The Role of Childhood Lessons

This article demonstrates that a loss of personal control leads to an increase in self-regulatory behavior. This occurs because a loss of control puts consumers at a deficit relative to one of the major lessons they learn during their childhood, which is to have control over the outcomes of their actions. This deficit triggers a compensatory process focused on following other lessons that consumers believe they learned during their childhood. Because exerting self-regulation is another major lesson parents emphasize, consumers engage in self-regulatory behavior to compensate for a loss of personal control. However, when consumers believe their parents emphasized self-regulation less strongly during childhood (i.e., they believe their parents had a more permissive style), a loss of control can reduce self-regulatory behavior. These findings have implications for what we know about the effects of childhood experiences on adult consumer behavior, the importance of individuals’ beliefs about childhood experiences in determining adult behavior, the consequences of low personal control, and the antecedents of self-regulatory behavior.

The Effect of Childhood Experience of Child Abuse on the Adolescent-To-Parent Abuse: With a Focus on the Moderating Effects of Positive Relationship with Friends

The Effect of Childhood Experience of Child Abuse on the Adolescent-To-Parent Abuse: With a Focus on the Moderating Effects of Positive Relationship with Friends

Relationships Between Childhood Experiences and Adulthood Outcomes in Women with PKU: A Qualitative Analysis.

The enduring impact of the childhood experiences of people with phenylketonuria (PKU) on their adulthood outcomes is equivocal. As the effect of childhood experiences on adulthood is well documented amongst the general population, the aim of this study was to explore childhood experiences considered significant by women with PKU as they relate to adult experiences and management of PKU, and psychological wellbeing. Eight women with PKU in South Australia underwent semi-structured interviews. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. Interviews revealed that feeling different to peers as a child, challenges with management of the condition during adolescence, parental and extended family support, and the perception of PKU as a burden during childhood were associated with adulthood experiences. Thus, it is proposed that these childhood factors have a combined, long-term impact. These findings have significant clinical implications, suggesting that early psychosocial intervention relating to these identified childhood experiences has the potential to enhance positive outcomes for adults with PKU.

The Effects of Childhood Experience of Domestic Violence on Dating Violence Moderating Effects of Adult Attachment Style

The Effects of Childhood Experience of Domestic Violence on Dating Violence Moderating Effects of Adult Attachment Style

Effects of Childhood Experience of Violence Between Parents and/or Parent-to-Child Violence on Young Israeli Adults' Global Self-Esteem.

The study examines long-term effects of family violence in childhood (violence between parents and/or parent-to-child violence) on adult self-esteem. Data were derived from a sample of 352 university students. Findings show that young adults not exposed to family violence in childhood report the highest self-esteem; lower self-esteem reports were by those experiencing one type of family violence; the lowest self-esteem was reported by those who experienced two types of family violence. In the latter two groups, self-esteem was also affected by frequency of violence. A linkage was identified between the family violence types examined: The more frequent one type of violence, the more frequent the other type. Theoretical and practical implications for the study of effects of family violence on child development are discussed.

The Enduring Impact of Childhood Experience on Mental Health: Evidence Using Instrumented Co-Twin Data

The question of whether there is a lasting effect of childhood experience on mental health has eluded causal measurement. We draw upon identical twin data and econometric instrumentation to provide an unbiased answer. We find that 55% of a one standard deviation change in mental health due to idiosyncratic experience at age 9 will still be present three years later. Extending the analysis, we find such persistence to vary with age at impact, gender, and mental health sub-categories. This investigation allows us to get a grasp on the degree to which childhood events influence health and socio-economic outcomes by way of their lagged effect on subsequent mental health. A better understanding of the evolution of mental health also helps identifying when mental health issues can be most effectively treated.

The Effect of Childhood Experiences, Parents, and School-Age Environment on Internet Addiction in Adolescence

The Effect of Childhood Experiences, Parents, and School-Age Environment on Internet Addiction in Adolescence

The effect of childhood experiences on mate choice in personality traits: Homogamy and sexual imprinting

We have made an attempt at demonstrating the effect of parental influence, particularly sexual imprinting, on human mate choice. Extending our earlier studies that focused on facial similarities between couples, and parents and couples, now we investigate resemblances in personality characters. Forty-nine couples and their parents filled in Caprara’s Big Five Questionnaire and the s-EMBU retrospective attachment test. We found significant correlations between the young men’s wives and their mothers in Conscientiousness that may be a key factor for similarity, given that it is related to the attitudes regarding parental investment. As far as the effect of childhood experiences are considered, we have controversial results. We found several significant relationships for the same-sex parents and a reverse relationship between the quality of parent–child attachment and the degree of similarity between the child’s parent and spouse, that may contradict the ethological notion of sexual imprinting. As a possible interpretation, we emphasize the very complexity of detecting and using parental personality structure as a model in mate choice. In general, our results suggest that childhood experiences would play an important role in shaping mate preferences, and parental models may guide partner choice in terms of personality traits.

Effects of Childhood Experiences on Cortisol Levels in Depressed Adults

To evaluate the impact of childhood abuse and parental bonding on cortisol levels in depressed adults. Mean afternoon cortisol levels were measured in 192 depressed adult patients at the beginning of a treatment trial. Childhood experiences of physical and sexual abuse were ascertained by interview, and perceived parenting by self-report. Maternal affectionless control, childhood sexual and physical abuse were all associated with cortisol levels. Childhood experiences, especially maternal affectionless control, appear to be related to hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis function in depressed adults.

The epidemiology of major depression: implications of occurrence, recurrence, and stress in a Canadian community sample.

To study the effects of stress process variables on the prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) and to explore the factors related to its onset and recurrence, using measures of stress and disorder that are more comprehensive than those in previous studies of depression. Data were collected from a randomly selected community sample of 1393 adult respondents in Toronto, Ontario. Depression was measured using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Bivariate and multivariate analyses examine demographic and stress process correlates of MDD to assess their impact on both occurrence and recurrence. The effects of childhood experiences on lifetime MDD are examined as risk factors for the initial onset of depression. With respect to occurrence, the multivariate analyses tended to show agreement with established findings. Results using a subsample of people with lifetime depression to predict recurrence tended to mirror results using the full sample, except with respect to gender, birthplace, and, to a certain degree, stress differences. Finally, traumas experienced in childhood, as well as early childhood experiences involving parental substance abuse and mental health problems, were significant predictors of the onset of major depressive disorder. This research currently represents the only Canadian community study to examine the relationship between stress, social support, coping, and depression using outcome measures that approximate Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria. In addition, it is among the few that use a comprehensive measure of life stress encompassing childhood experiences and current operant stress (both events and chronic problems).

Words, art, body and memory: readings from a writer.

This essay considers the consequences of childhood experiences with family illness on future adult sensibilities. Novelist and memoirist Mary Gordon describes her father's early death from heart disease and her childhood responsibilities toward her mother who was chronically ill with polio. She examines the relations between the ill body and the rituals and teachings of Catholicism and, by implication, all religious imagings of the body. By detailing her current caregiving responsibilities toward her mother, who is now homebound with Alzheimer disease, she scrutinizes the responses of the healthy toward the ill. She cites passages from her own novels--The Other Side, The Shadow Man, and Spending--in which characters' bodies fail and sicken. By examining these retrospective and prospective experiences with other people's ailments, Gordon exhorts medical students and doctors to tend to the bodies in their care with skill, with vision, and with words. She joins fellow writer Joseph Conrad in his task: "by the power of the written word to make you hear, to make you feel; it is, before all, to make you see."