Health Associations of Positive Childhood Experiences: A Scoping Review of the Literature

Joachim Hero, Laura Gallant, Dina Burstein (), Sydne Newberry, Nabeel Qureshi, Katie Feistel, Kayla N. Anderson, Kelsey Hannan and Robert Sege
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Joachim Hero: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
Laura Gallant: Center for Community-Engaged Medicine, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Dina Burstein: Center for Community-Engaged Medicine, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Sydne Newberry: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
Nabeel Qureshi: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
Katie Feistel: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
Kayla N. Anderson: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
Kelsey Hannan: Center for Community-Engaged Medicine, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Robert Sege: Center for Community-Engaged Medicine, Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: We report the results of a scoping review of the literature investigating associations between positive childhood experiences (PCEs) and selected health outcomes to identify which have the highest level of research activity based on the indexed academic literature. Yielded articles underwent title/abstract (Ti/Ab) and full text screening utilizing inclusion/exclusion criteria. The review was guided by PCE categories from the Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences framework: relationships, environment, engagement, and emotional growth. The initial search yielded 8,919 unduplicated articles, 759 were retained following Ti/Ab review and 220 articles were retained after full text screening describing 795 tested associations across 23 PCE types in ten outcome categories. The outcomes most commonly examined were substance misuse (305 tested associations across 93 studies), suicidal behaviors (195 tested associations across 56 studies), and depression (112 tested associations across 55 studies). Physical health outcomes were less common (14 tested associations across six studies). Of the PCE exposures, relationships represented 415 of tested associations, 236 with environment, and 114 with social engagement. A significant body of research demonstrated associations between PCEs and health outcomes. While further research is needed, available research suggests that public health efforts to promote PCEs may have impact across multiple domains.

Keywords: positive childhood experiences; health outcomes; adverse childhood experiences; child development; substance use disorder; suicidal behavior; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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