Prevalence and predictors of benevolent childhood experiences among a representative sample of young people

Enya Redican; Orla McBride; Lisa  Bunting; Jamie Murphy; M Shevlin

doi:10.1111/bjop.12607

Prevalence and predictors of benevolent childhood experiences among a representative sample of young people

Queens University Belfast

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

202 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Emerging research evidence suggests that benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) may partly explain more favourable mental health outcomes among individuals affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). However, much of this research has focused on adult populations. Consequently, this study sought to provide the first rigorous assessment of the prevalence and predictors of BCEs using a nationally representative sample of young people from Northern Ireland (NI). Participants were 11–19-years-olds (N = 1293) who participated in the NI Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey (NI-YWS, 2020). Prevalence rates, gender differences and predictors of BCEs were investigated. Results revealed how most of the sample experienced multiple BCEs (95%, n = 1084), with females reporting higher levels of BCEs. Significant positive predictors of BCEs were female gender, parental education, living with both biological parents, and living in areas with lower deprivation, while significant negative predictors of BCEs included family being in receipt of social welfare and older age. Overall, this study highlights how BCEs are common, while the identification of factors associated with likelihood of having positive experiences during early development provides novel insights into those young people who may be at greater risk for maladaptive psychological outcomes.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	229-243
Number of pages	15
Journal	British Journal of Psychology
Volume	114
Issue number	1
Early online date	9 Nov 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12607
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - 28 Feb 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society.

© 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society.

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey.

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society.

© 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society.

Funding

Funding Information: This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society. © 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society. Funding Information: This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey. Funding Information: This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society. © 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society.

Keywords

adolescence
benevolent childhood experiences
childhood
resilience

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1111/bjop.12607

British J of Psychology - 2022 - Redican - Prevalence and predictors of benevolent childhood experiences among aFinal published version, 368 KBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

@article{fe5b3de1b4c94f63b5d19d8f6f323f5a,

title = "Prevalence and predictors of benevolent childhood experiences among a representative sample of young people",

abstract = "Emerging research evidence suggests that benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) may partly explain more favourable mental health outcomes among individuals affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). However, much of this research has focused on adult populations. Consequently, this study sought to provide the first rigorous assessment of the prevalence and predictors of BCEs using a nationally representative sample of young people from Northern Ireland (NI). Participants were 11–19-years-olds (N = 1293) who participated in the NI Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey (NI-YWS, 2020). Prevalence rates, gender differences and predictors of BCEs were investigated. Results revealed how most of the sample experienced multiple BCEs (95\%, n = 1084), with females reporting higher levels of BCEs. Significant positive predictors of BCEs were female gender, parental education, living with both biological parents, and living in areas with lower deprivation, while significant negative predictors of BCEs included family being in receipt of social welfare and older age. Overall, this study highlights how BCEs are common, while the identification of factors associated with likelihood of having positive experiences during early development provides novel insights into those young people who may be at greater risk for maladaptive psychological outcomes.",

keywords = "adolescence, benevolent childhood experiences, childhood, resilience",

author = "Enya Redican and Orla McBride and Lisa Bunting and Jamie Murphy and M Shevlin",

note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley \& Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society. {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley \& Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society. Funding Information: This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey. Funding Information: This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley \& Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society. {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley \& Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society.",

year = "2023",

month = feb,

day = "28",

doi = "10.1111/bjop.12607",

language = "English",

volume = "114",

pages = "229--243",

journal = "British Journal of Psychology",

issn = "0007-1269",

publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Prevalence and predictors of benevolent childhood experiences among a representative sample of young people

AU - Redican, Enya

AU - McBride, Orla

AU - Bunting, Lisa

AU - Murphy, Jamie

AU - Shevlin, M

N1 - Funding Information: This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society. © 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society. Funding Information: This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey. Funding Information: This work was supported by the Department for the Economy PhD studentship. The Department for the Economy had no role in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in writing the report and in the decision to submit the article for publication. We would also like to acknowledge the Social Care Directorate (Children's Service and Think Family NI), Health and Social Care Board who commissioned and funded the Northern Ireland Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society. © 2022 The Authors. British Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The British Psychological Society.

PY - 2023/2/28

Y1 - 2023/2/28

N2 - Emerging research evidence suggests that benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) may partly explain more favourable mental health outcomes among individuals affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). However, much of this research has focused on adult populations. Consequently, this study sought to provide the first rigorous assessment of the prevalence and predictors of BCEs using a nationally representative sample of young people from Northern Ireland (NI). Participants were 11–19-years-olds (N = 1293) who participated in the NI Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey (NI-YWS, 2020). Prevalence rates, gender differences and predictors of BCEs were investigated. Results revealed how most of the sample experienced multiple BCEs (95%, n = 1084), with females reporting higher levels of BCEs. Significant positive predictors of BCEs were female gender, parental education, living with both biological parents, and living in areas with lower deprivation, while significant negative predictors of BCEs included family being in receipt of social welfare and older age. Overall, this study highlights how BCEs are common, while the identification of factors associated with likelihood of having positive experiences during early development provides novel insights into those young people who may be at greater risk for maladaptive psychological outcomes.

AB - Emerging research evidence suggests that benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) may partly explain more favourable mental health outcomes among individuals affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). However, much of this research has focused on adult populations. Consequently, this study sought to provide the first rigorous assessment of the prevalence and predictors of BCEs using a nationally representative sample of young people from Northern Ireland (NI). Participants were 11–19-years-olds (N = 1293) who participated in the NI Youth Wellbeing Prevalence Survey (NI-YWS, 2020). Prevalence rates, gender differences and predictors of BCEs were investigated. Results revealed how most of the sample experienced multiple BCEs (95%, n = 1084), with females reporting higher levels of BCEs. Significant positive predictors of BCEs were female gender, parental education, living with both biological parents, and living in areas with lower deprivation, while significant negative predictors of BCEs included family being in receipt of social welfare and older age. Overall, this study highlights how BCEs are common, while the identification of factors associated with likelihood of having positive experiences during early development provides novel insights into those young people who may be at greater risk for maladaptive psychological outcomes.

KW - adolescence

KW - benevolent childhood experiences

KW - childhood

KW - resilience

U2 - 10.1111/bjop.12607

DO - 10.1111/bjop.12607

M3 - Article

C2 - 36351744

SN - 0007-1269

VL - 114

SP - 229

EP - 243

JO - British Journal of Psychology

JF - British Journal of Psychology

IS - 1

ER -

Prevalence and predictors of benevolent childhood experiences among a representative sample of young people

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this