Early life predictors of positive change during the coronavirus disease pandemic

BMC Psychology

Alexis S. Thomas¹  Cathryn Booth-LaForce¹  Maria E. Bleil¹  Steven E. Gregorich²  Bradley M. Appelhans³  Neal Marquez⁴  Kyle Crowder⁴  Glenn I. Roisman⁵ 

[1] Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing, University of Washington, Box 357262, 98195, Seattle, WA, USA;Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA;Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA;Department of Sociology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA;

关键词: Coronavirus disease pandemic;    COVID-19;    Early life adversity;    Stress;    Neighborhood disadvantage;    Socioeconomic status;    Resilience;    Positive change;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40359-021-00586-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis unprecedented in its size and scope. Yet studies of resilience suggest most individuals will successfully negotiate this challenge and some may even experience growth and positive change. Some evidence suggests that the capacity to enact positive change in the face of adversity may be shaped by early life experiences.MethodsIn a subset of 374 participants (57% female, mean age = 29 years) in the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), a longitudinal, birth cohort, prospective models were tested to determine whether early life adversities in family and neighborhood contexts predict positive change events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Childhood family and neighborhood contexts were assessed using a combination of self-report questionnaires and US Census data. Adulthood positive change events (e.g., becoming more appreciative of things usually taken for granted) were assessed using the Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory (EPII).ResultsIn regression analyses, neighborhood disadvantage in childhood, measured both by objective and subjective assessments, predicted a higher number of positive change events in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (β = .18, p = .004 and β = .15, p = .006, respectively). Examination of the positive change event subscales showed neighborhood disadvantage in childhood predicted increases in events related to ‘perspective taking and charitable giving’ (β = .20, p = .022 and β = .17, p = .002, respectively) and improved ‘social relationships’ (β = .18, p = .004 and β = .13, p = .020, respectively), but not to positive ‘health behaviors’ (ps > .05). All associations were independent of sociodemographic factors and childhood family dysfunction.ConclusionsFindings suggest that neighborhood disadvantage in childhood may shape prosocial responses to stress in adulthood, potentially through early life adaptions to stress that are protective when facing adversity. There are several notable implications of the study findings. Although adversity in early life has clear negative impacts, it is possible that adversity experiences may also provide opportunities to develop adaptive strategies that foster resilience and growth when facing stress. Intervention efforts should consider leveraging such stress-adapted strengths to reduce the many negative impacts of early life adversity.

【 授权许可】

CC BY