Publication: Molding the Mind: The Impact of Childhood Experiences on Subjective Well-Being, Self-Esteem, and Sense of Belonging in College Students
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Abstract
This research critically examines mental well-being outcomes in a randomized sample of Princeton undergraduate students. By asking students to report retrospectively on their upbringing (first 18 years of life) and currently on several mental well-being measures, this study specifically explores the impact of adverse and benevolent childhood experiences on subjective well-being, sense of belonging, and self-esteem during the college years. The online survey study included six validated psychological scales: the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Scale, the Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the General Belongingness Scale (GBS) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Participants were also asked three novel questions regarding conflict in the household, family engagement, and happiness in the home during their upbringing. Overall, a robust relationship was found between childhood experience and overall mental well-being in college. A one-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant effect of ACEs on positive affect, negative affect, life satisfaction, sense of belonging, and self-esteem during the college years. Similarly, BCEs had a significant effect on all of the same measures, with the exception of negative affect. A two-way ANOVA found no interaction of ACEs and BCEs with any mental well-being component, suggesting BCEs operate through direct, promotive effects rather than as a buffer for early adversity. Three novel questions were explored for their predictive correlation with all scales, shedding light on brief, nuanced measures of assessing childhood experiences and predicting college mental well-being outcomes. Most notable was the significant, strong relationship between the presence of conflict with both higher adversity and lower promotive influences. Similarly, happiness in the home strongly predicted ACEs score, BCEs score, and sense of belonging during college.
Keywords: adverse childhood experiences, benevolent childhood experiences, subjective well-being, sense of belonging, self-esteem