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Childhood environment and mental wellbeing at age 60-64 years: prospective evidence from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development

Childhood environment and mental wellbeing at age 60-64 years: prospective evidence from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development
Childhood environment and mental wellbeing at age 60-64 years: prospective evidence from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development
Background

Mental wellbeing, conceptualised as positive affect, life satisfaction and realisation of needs that contribute to psychological growth, captures more than the absence of mental ill health. Several nations now aim to monitor and improve mental wellbeing. Whilst many studies document associations between adverse childhood experiences and mental disorders in adulthood, possible links between childhood experiences and adult mental wellbeing have so far received less attention.

Methods

Using data from 1976 men and women in the MRC National Survey for Health and Development, we investigated prospective associations between childhood socioeconomic and psychosocial environments and the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, designed to capture both hedonic and eudaimonic facets of wellbeing, at age 60-64.

Results

Whilst there was no evidence that childhood socioeconomic circumstances were related to later wellbeing independently of other childhood experiences, elements of childrearing and parenting, parental health and adjustment, and childhood illness were related. More advantaged socioeconomic position was associated with greater wellbeing but this did not explain the links between these childhood exposures and adult wellbeing, suggesting alternative explanatory pathways should be considered.

Conclusions

Childhood illness and family psychosocial environment are associated with mental wellbeing in early older age, with effects sizes that are larger or comparable to socioeconomic circumstances in adulthood. Initiatives to improve the nation’s mental wellbeing that include programmes targeted to supporting families and children may additionally have benefits that continue into older age.
1932-6203
1-12
Stafford, M.
c6576540-d4cd-40a0-8f06-01604e7ba9ad
Gale, C.R.
5bb2abb3-7b53-42d6-8aa7-817e193140c8
Mishra, G.
b8f1276f-e138-4322-83d7-994a47c791d8
Richards, M.
d76b0506-723e-4ed8-9fbc-a522f515e797
Black, S.
32bdd48e-0bcf-456a-8e1d-b5f2804a847e
Kuh, D.L.
104d7b53-d1ee-4f91-ba18-8f92807c9d04
Stafford, M.
c6576540-d4cd-40a0-8f06-01604e7ba9ad
Gale, C.R.
5bb2abb3-7b53-42d6-8aa7-817e193140c8
Mishra, G.
b8f1276f-e138-4322-83d7-994a47c791d8
Richards, M.
d76b0506-723e-4ed8-9fbc-a522f515e797
Black, S.
32bdd48e-0bcf-456a-8e1d-b5f2804a847e
Kuh, D.L.
104d7b53-d1ee-4f91-ba18-8f92807c9d04

Stafford, M., Gale, C.R., Mishra, G., Richards, M., Black, S. and Kuh, D.L. (2015) Childhood environment and mental wellbeing at age 60-64 years: prospective evidence from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. PLoS ONE, 10 (6), 1-12. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0126683). (PMID:26030929)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background

Mental wellbeing, conceptualised as positive affect, life satisfaction and realisation of needs that contribute to psychological growth, captures more than the absence of mental ill health. Several nations now aim to monitor and improve mental wellbeing. Whilst many studies document associations between adverse childhood experiences and mental disorders in adulthood, possible links between childhood experiences and adult mental wellbeing have so far received less attention.

Methods

Using data from 1976 men and women in the MRC National Survey for Health and Development, we investigated prospective associations between childhood socioeconomic and psychosocial environments and the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, designed to capture both hedonic and eudaimonic facets of wellbeing, at age 60-64.

Results

Whilst there was no evidence that childhood socioeconomic circumstances were related to later wellbeing independently of other childhood experiences, elements of childrearing and parenting, parental health and adjustment, and childhood illness were related. More advantaged socioeconomic position was associated with greater wellbeing but this did not explain the links between these childhood exposures and adult wellbeing, suggesting alternative explanatory pathways should be considered.

Conclusions

Childhood illness and family psychosocial environment are associated with mental wellbeing in early older age, with effects sizes that are larger or comparable to socioeconomic circumstances in adulthood. Initiatives to improve the nation’s mental wellbeing that include programmes targeted to supporting families and children may additionally have benefits that continue into older age.

Other
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 7 April 2015
Published date: 1 June 2015
Organisations: MRC Life-Course Epidemiology Unit

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 379130
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/379130
ISSN: 1932-6203
PURE UUID: 4ae56c19-629f-49cb-8489-719837cce26f
ORCID for C.R. Gale: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3361-8638

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 23 Jul 2015 15:50
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:49

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Contributors

Author: M. Stafford
Author: C.R. Gale ORCID iD
Author: G. Mishra
Author: M. Richards
Author: S. Black
Author: D.L. Kuh

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