Evaluating the Effect of Positive Childhood Experiences on the Risk of Psychiatric Disorders in Early Adulthood.

OBJECTIVE

While the negative impacts of traumatic childhood experiences are well established, less is known about whether positive childhood experiences (PCEs) contribute to long-term mental health. The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of PCEs on the risk of psychiatric disorders in early adulthood.

METHODS

Participants included 3,499 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Eligible participants were nonrandomly exposed to PCEs (e.g., "school enjoyment" or "feeling safe in neighborhood") between ages 0 and 17, measured as a score ranging from 0 to 10. Inverse probability weighting (IPW) was used to account for the likelihood of PCE exposure conditional on confounders. The effect of PCE score on risk of psychiatric disorders at age 24, using IPW- and confounder-adjusted estimates, is reported. Subgroup analysis of individual disorders was subsequently conducted.

RESULTS

In unweighted analyses, each one-unit increase in the PCE score was associated with a 12% decrease in the odds of psychiatric disorder (odds ratio=0.88, 95% CI=0.82, 0.95). In the IPW- and confounder-adjusted model, this effect was retained (odds ratio=0.89, 95% CI=0.82, 0.95). Robust associations between PCEs and lower odds of depressive disorder (odds ratio=0.84, 95% CI=0.76, 0.93) and generalized anxiety disorder (odds ratio=0.91, 95% CI=0.84, 0.99) were found. The findings for PCE score and psychotic disorder were inconclusive.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that PCEs are associated with reduced odds of meeting criteria for psychiatric disorders in early adulthood, particularly depression. Further research should explore PCEs as a potential preventive strategy that might reduce the burden of psychiatric disorders in early adulthood.