The lifelong negative effects that adverse childhood experiences have on adult mental health are well-established, but new research suggests that positive childhood experiences can help mitigate the damage.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, published a study in JAMA Pediatrics revealing that positive childhood experiences are just as important as negative ones, and can actually help offset the fallout from adverse events. Lead author Christina Bethell, PhD, a professor and researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says the most important thing about the report is that it offers hope.

"We found that even among adults with multiple adverse experiences in childhood, those that also had positive experiences-such as caring, warm, and nurturing relationships with friends and a sense of belonging in school and the community-fared much better," Bethell says. "The association between lower rates of depression and poor mental health and positive childhood experiences remained stable across all adults who experienced adverse childhood events, regardless of how many such experiences they reported having. These findings contribute to the growing evidence on ways to buffer the effects of adversity, with a focus on positive relational experiences and adult mental and relational health in an entire population of adults age 18 years and older."

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