Sharing – Study Links Childhood Unpredictability to Mental Health
If you have ever looked into the mental health or brain impacts of uncertainty, this may not surprise you:
A new study of 30,000 children shows environmental unpredictability predicts depression and anxiety beyond ACEs.
It’s especially interesting to me because I’ve recently done a couple of online talks about stress, anxiety, and uncertainty in the workplace, and one of the points I asked people to take away was how much uncertainty people are dealing with right now, and how, in the midst of that kind of uncertainty, people will often do strange things. Usually, this is done in an attempt to find something certain to latch on to. That can be believing in simple answers that aren’t true, or making permanent decisions without careful consideration because at least that will be something that doesn’t change. It can also lead to real changes in the brain, the kind that can impact our mental health for years.
When you’re a child, everything is about routines and certainty. Waking up every day and having food to eat, adults who love you and care for you, education, friends, etc. Growing up in an environment where none of that is certain is similar to growing up with traumatic events.
I’d argue it kind of is one long traumatic event. So we shouldn’t be surprised that there are long-lasting mental health impacts to that level of trauma.
