While a difficult childhood may increase the risk of developing mental disorders in adulthood, the reverse is not necessarily true, shows an Australian study.
- Positive childhood experiences do not guarantee good mental health as adults, the study finds.
- According to its authors, it is rather our ability to adapt to unforeseen negative situations that can determine or not the appearance of mental disorders in adulthood.
Having a happy childhood with loving parents and faithful friends is not a bulwark against mental illnesses such as anxiety disorders, paranoia or depression.
This is the conclusion of a new study conducted by the University of South Australia in partnership with the University of Canberra (Australia), recently published in the journal Current Psychology. According to its authors, the positive and negative experiences experienced during early childhood certainly play a role in our development, but they are not the only determinants in the appearance of mental disorders. Rather, they believe, it’s our ability to adapt – or rather not adapt – to unexpected scenarios that could influence mental health.
A favorable environment is not the only factor
In Australia, the country where the study was carried out, the researchers estimate that nearly half of the population will face a mental illness at one time or another in their lives. According to the WHO, mental illness affects one in five people each year and one in three if we refer to lifetime prevalence. In France, it is estimated that one person in five, or 12 million people, currently suffers from a mental disorder.
Among them, some were faced with difficulties very early in their lives, which had an impact on their poor mental health, contributing in particular to the appearance of a depressive disorder or paranoia. But among these adults, there are also people who grew up in a stable and supportive environment, and who also developed symptoms of anxiety as adults.
Our ability to adapt to change, a mental health factor
For lead author Bianca Kahl, the study highlights the indiscriminate nature of mental illnesses and reveals key insights into potential risk factors for all children. “As the prevalence of mental illness increases, it is imperative that we also expand our knowledge of this highly complex and varied condition.she believes. This research shows that mental health conditions are not determined solely by early childhood events, and that a child raised in a happy home could still grow up with a mental health disorder.”
Bianca Kahl concedes, however, that currently all “factors in understanding how our childhood environment and early life experiences can translate to mental health outcomes in adulthood” are not yet known. According to her, these are above all “our expectations about our environment and our ability to adapt to scenarios where our expectations are not met, which can influence our experiences of distress”. “If in childhood we learn to adapt to change and deal with situations that don’t go our way, we may be better able to respond to stress and other risk factors for poor health. mental”she says, stressing that verifying this hypothesis will be at the heart of her next work.
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