Can positive relationships during childhood shield us from the stresses of life’s early adversities? A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that strong bonds with parents and other adults play a crucial role in fostering mental health resilience in young adulthood. Interestingly, the research also uncovers that high levels of family religiosity may increase stress among those who have faced significant childhood adversities.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) refer to potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years), including instances of abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, or growing up in a household with substance misuse and mental health problems. These experiences are not just distressing memories from the past; they have a profound impact on future health and well-being.
The study was motivated by the recognition that children exposed to ACEs are at a heightened risk of developing mental health disorders later in life. Given that socially marginalized and racially and ethnically minoritized youth often face a disproportionate share of these adversities, the researchers aimed to uncover what factors might help build resilience during childhood, particularly within these underrepresented groups.
“We wanted to find out what can make a difference for children experiencing high adversity,” explained study authors Cristiane Duarte, the Ruane Professor for the Implementation of Science for Child & Adolescent Mental Health at Columbia University, and Sara VanBronkhorst, voluntary faculty at Columbia University.
“We’ve known for many years that ACEs are associated with later mental health problems. But we know less about factors that can shield children from these long-term effects of ACEs. We wanted to understand these factors so that we can develop interventions that can reduce the mental health problems related to ACEs.”
The Boricua Youth Study, which formed the basis of this research, followed slightly more than 2,000 children of Puerto Rican descent from childhood into young adulthood. Participants were initially recruited as children aged 5-13 from both the South Bronx, New York, and the metropolitan area of San Juan and Caguas, Puerto Rico, ensuring a diverse representation. Over several years, the study collected data through comprehensive assessments that examined the presence of ACEs, various resilience factors, and their eventual impact on mental health.
Researchers employed a range of measures to gauge resilience factors and ACEs. Social bonds were assessed through reports of maternal warmth, the quality of parent-child relationships, and the support from nonparental adults. Additionally, the study looked into sources of meaning like family religiosity and familism, reflecting the cultural values and beliefs that might influence resilience. Mental health outcomes were evaluated in young adulthood, focusing on anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, and perceived stress levels.
The study revealed that positive relationships with adults — characterized by warmth, understanding, and support — were significantly linked to lower levels of perceived stress and reduced odds of developing anxiety or depression in young adulthood. Notably, these benefits were observed regardless of the number of adverse experiences the participants had faced during childhood.
“Positive adult-child relationships during childhood were associated with a lower risk of depression, anxiety, and stress in young adulthood in this study,” Duarte and VanBronkhorst told PsyPost. “This finding was true regardless of exposure to adverse childhood experiences. Adults can potentially make a real difference in reducing the risk of later mental health problems.”
However, an unexpected finding emerged regarding family religiosity. Contrary to the anticipated protective effect, higher levels of religiosity were associated with increased stress among participants with a high number of ACEs.
“We were surprised that family religiosity was associated with higher stress for participants with high exposure to ACEs,” the researchers said. “We don’t know why this was the case, but perhaps it is related to feelings of guilt or shame about ACEs in highly religious families.”
While the study provides crucial insights, it also acknowledges several limitations. The heterogeneity in measuring resilience factors, the broad age range of participants, and the reliance on self-reported data could influence the results. “An important limitation is that we were not able to examine additional potential resilience factors that may had been relevant for the families in the study.”
Understanding how different sociocultural contexts influence the development of resilience can guide more effective interventions and support for children facing adversities. The unexpected findings regarding family religiosity also suggest that the role of cultural and religious practices in resilience is complex and deserves further exploration.
“The long term goal is both to call attention to the need to prevent exposure to adversities and to try to identify factors that can protect children who are highly exposed to adversities,” Duarte and VanBronkhorst told PsyPost.
The study, “Sociocultural Risk and Resilience in the Context of Adverse Childhood Experiences,” was authored by Sara B. VanBronkhorst, Eyal Abraham, Renald Dambreville, Maria A. Ramos-Olazagasti, Melanie Wall, David C. Saunders, Catherine Monk, Margarita Alegría, Glorisa J. Canino, Hector Bird, and Cristiane S. Duarte.
