The effect of positive childhood experiences on adult personality psychopathology

• Published in: Personality and individual differences 2020-05, Vol.158, p.109862, Article 109862
• Main Authors: Gunay-Oge, Rumeysa, Pehlivan, Fatmatuz Zehra, Isikli, Sedat
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Adversity; Antisocial personality disorder; Childhood adversity; Childhood experiences; Long term; Mental depression; Narcissism; Narcissistic personality disorder; Obsessive compulsive disorder; Personality development; Personality disorders; Positive childhood experiences; Psychopathology; Sadistic personality disorder; Schizotypal personality disorders
• ISSN: 0191-8869; 1873-3549
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.109862

•We tested if childhood experiences predict adult personality psychopathology.•Adverse childhood experiences are risk factor for personality psychopathology.•Positive childhood experiences reduce the risk of personality psychopathology.•Adverse childhood experiences do not predict histrionic traits in adulthood.•Positive experiences do not predict histrionic, narcissistic and sadistic traits. Most of the current literature on the subject focuses on the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and adult personality psychopathology; however, as far as is known, there is no research investigating the relationship between positive childhood experiences and adult personality disorder symptoms. The present study aims to highlight the association between positive childhood experiences and adult personality psychopathology. To investigate this association, 341 participants were recruited for this study, in which the Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale, the Benevolent Childhood Experiences Scale and the Coolidge Axis II Inventory Plus were used. Stepwise linear regressions supported the position that despite the presence of adverse childhood experiences, there are independent relationships between positive childhood experiences and 11 out of 14 personality disorder symptoms (Antisocial, Avoidant, Borderline, Dependent, Depressive, Obsessive-Compulsive, Paranoid, Passive-Aggressive, Schizoid, Schizotypal and Self-defeating Personality Disorder (PD) symptoms). Results did not support an independent relationship between positive childhood experiences and histrionic, sadistic or narcissistic personality disorder traits. The results of the study illuminate how positive childhood experiences may counteract long-term effects of childhood adversity.