Research led by RCSI suggests that safety, supportive relationships and positive experiences at home, school and in the community may help protect against psychiatric disorders by age 24.
Positive childhood experiences, from feeling safe at home to having supportive friendships and trusted adults, may help guard against depression and anxiety well into early adulthood, according to research led by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, found that young people who accumulated more supportive experiences during childhood and adolescence were less likely to meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder at age 24.
The researchers analysed data from 3,499 participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a long-running UK birth cohort known as Children of the 90s. They tracked 10 categories of positive experience between birth and age 17, including warm parent-child relationships, encouraging teachers, regular activities outside the home, feeling safe in the neighbourhood and enjoyment of school. Using a statistical approach designed to approximate cause and effect in observational data, they found that each additional positive experience was linked to a lower likelihood of depression in early adulthood, with a smaller but still significant association for anxiety.
The findings add to a wider body of evidence suggesting that positive experiences are not just the absence of adversity. A meta-analysis in Development and Psychopathology, drawing on 41 studies and more than 74,000 participants, also found that positive childhood experiences were associated with fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress in adulthood. Other recent studies, including research in Delhi-NCR, India, have likewise linked supportive childhood environments with better mental health and greater wellbeing in young adults.
The RCSI team said the results do not mean positive experiences cancel out the harm caused by trauma. Rather, they point to a second pathway that may help shape mental health over time, alongside the effects of hardship. David Cotter, the senior author, said children build supportive relationships in families, schools and communities, and that these can matter for later wellbeing. Jennifer Murphy, the study’s first author, said early adulthood is a crucial period because many mental health conditions first emerge then, and she argued that schools, health services and parenting support should focus not only on reducing harm but also on creating more opportunities for children to feel secure, connected and valued.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
