Study examines how early experiences shape our mental health trajectory

Adverse childhood experiences can lead to adult symptoms of anxiety and depression, mediated by life history strategies, according to a study published in Biodemography & Social Biology.

Existing research underscores the psychological impact of early-life adversity, with theories across cognitive, behavioral, and evolutionary psychology exploring these long-term effects. The life history theory, specifically, offers insight by framing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in terms of fast or slow life strategies, each with distinct reproductive and developmental adaptations suited to one’s environment.

Life history theory posits that individuals exposed to unstable or hostile environments in childhood often adopt a “fast” life strategy, focusing on early reproduction and risk-taking. In contrast, those in stable conditions tend to adopt “slow” strategies, emphasizing long-term planning and higher parental investment.

These strategies have been linked not only to reproductive outcomes but also to mental health, as recent studies suggest that fast life history strategies correlate with mental health vulnerabilities. Nazila Amani and Gholamreza Dehshiri investigated whether life history strategy mediates the relationship between ACEs and adult anxiety and depression symptoms.

This study included 248 Iranian adults (162 women and 86 men), aged 18 to 53, recruited via social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants completed a battery of online assessments: the ACE questionnaire, Mini-K-20, and the anxiety and depression subscales of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The ACE questionnaire measured perceived childhood adversity (first decade of life) across domains including family instability, neighborhood safety, economic difficulties, and exposure to negative life events. The Mini-K-20 assessed life history strategy and the GHQ-28 subscales measured current symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The researchers found that participants who reported higher levels of ACEs showed a greater inclination toward a “fast” life strategy, characterized by behaviors that prioritize immediate survival and adaptation to unpredictable environments. This strategy, while adaptive in certain environmental contexts, was associated with greater vulnerability to anxiety and depression symptoms in adulthood, highlighting a potential pathway through which early adversity impacts adult psychological outcomes.

Both male and female participants exhibited similar patterns, with no significant gender differences observed in the mediation model. These findings suggest that the mediating effect of life history strategy on the ACEs-mental health link is consistent across genders, despite some literature indicating potential gender variations.

This study adds to a growing body of research that positions life history strategy as a significant factor in understanding the long-term effects of childhood adversity on mental health.

A limitation is that the study’s reliance on retrospective self-reporting of childhood experiences may introduce recall bias, and the pandemic context may have elevated anxiety and depression scores, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings.

The study, “Adverse childhood experiences, symptoms of anxiety and depression in adulthood: Mediation role of life history strategy”, was authored by Nazila Amani and Gholamreza Dehshiri.