Positive Childhood Experiences May Buffer Against Health Effects Of Adverse Ones
Researchers asked adults to reflect back on their happy childhood memories. They found those who recalled more were less likely to have depression in adulthood and had more supportive relationships.
Plenty of research shows that adverse childhood experiences can lead to depression and other health problems later in life. But researcher Christina Bethell wondered whether positive experiences in childhood could counter that. Her research comes from a personal place.
In the 1970s, in a low-income housing complex in Los Angeles, Bethell had a tough childhood. Sometimes she didn't have money for lunch. Sometimes, when a free bus came through to take kids to church, she would get on it, just to go somewhere else. "In low-income areas and in California in general, there was a
