Good teachers, friends and neighbours in childhood still guard minds at 24

A trusted teacher, supportive friends, a safe neighbourhood — small, ordinary kindnesses in childhood turn out to leave a long shadow, in a good way. Researchers followed 3,499 people in England from birth into adulthood in the Children of the 90s study and counted ten positive experiences, from a close relationship with a parent to enjoying school and regular activities outside the house. Each extra experience was linked to about 11% lower odds of a mental health disorder at age 24, and 16% lower odds for depression in particular. Young adults with four or more positive experiences had about a quarter lower odds than those with three or fewer — a pattern that held even after accounting for difficult experiences and family circumstances. The study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, cannot prove cause and effect, but it points the same way throughout: what children build around them matters for years.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being