It is well known that negative experiences in childhood can increase the risk of developing mental health problems, but this sad fact alone does not explain all people who later develop forms of psychological distress.
In a recent study, researchers tried to explore how people’s life stories influenced the development of the psychopathology, abnormal thoughts, and behaviors that often underlie mental disorders.
As we might expect, the results of the research were mixed: negative childhood experiences may manifest as anxiety or other mental health disorders later in life, but the absence of such experiences does not guarantee that you are free. of subsequent psychological problems, scientists say.
“This research shows that mental health conditions are not determined solely by the events of early life,” explains evolutionary psychologist Bianca Kahl of the University of South Australia.
“A child who is raised in a happy home could still grow up with a mental health disorder.”
It may seem like an obvious result, but it is important research that helps break the stigma that mental health problems only happen to some people.
In the study, Kahl and other researchers surveyed 343 participants using an online questionnaire, asking them about their family and education, along with several questions about the nature of their developmental trajectory, mental health, general well-being. and the nature of their relationships and attachments. today.
“The study aimed specifically to explore whether life history traits were associated with a general psychopathology factor or whether they could also predict specific symptom groups,” the authors explain in their article.
In this context, the features of life history are part of what is called life history theory: a framework for analyzing how different types of life strategies can influence the patterns and experiences of life. people over time.
In a very simplified sense, life story strategies can be characterized as fast or slow, with rapidity that often means impulsive and current decision-making and behavior, in contrast to slow traits, which reflect a prey. of more deliberative and future-oriented decisions. behavior.
What Kahl and his team wanted to analyze was whether fast or slow life strategies were predictive of a general ‘p-factor’, which posed an overall risk or the likelihood of developing psychopathology and related mental disorders, which in the past s ‘has found related to quick life story strategies.
“We aimed to answer the research question: how do the symptoms of psychopathology differ on the continuum of the fast and slow life story?” write the researchers.
“We hypothesized that childhood condition would moderate the association between early life environment and psychopathology symptoms, with those who perceived greater parental support potentially amortized from the effect of child environmental harshness and , in turn, reported fewer symptoms of psychopathology. “
In the study, the team found that faster life history traits were associated with general psychopathology, but the results showed that some symptoms of psychopathology were in fact associated with slow life history traits. .
“Perceived parental support with poorer and lower socioeconomic status was associated with higher rates of general psychopathology, for women and men respectively,” the team explains.
“These findings are complementary to previous work demonstrating an association between experienced adversity and p-factor.”
Outside of this general association, however, the symptoms of psychopathology were somewhat divided, with results showing interpersonal sensitivity and depression more likely for those with a faster life history strategy, while somatization and anxiety were higher for people with a slower life strategy.
As to whether a happy childhood (specifically, perceived parental support) acted as a kind of protection against psychopathology, the researchers found that their hypothesis was not supported by the data, suggesting that the relationship is more complex and highlighting a direction for future research. , so we can find out what’s really going on here.
“We suspect that our expectations about our environments and our ability to adapt to scenarios where our expectations are not met can influence our experiences of distress,” Kahl says.
“If, as children, we learn to adapt to change and learn to cope when things don’t go our way, we may be in a better position to respond to stress and other risk factors for a bad mental health “.
The findings are reported in Current psychology.