The 12-year study, published in American Psychologist, uses data from the TWIN-10 longitudinal study, which followed more than 1600 healthy, adult Australian twins at four time points over 12 years, between 2009 and 2024.
Using the COMPAS-W Wellbeing Scale, a 26-item questionnaire designed to evaluate a person’s overall mental wellbeing, the researchers measured respondents’ composure, own-worth, mastery, positivity, achievement or goal striving, and life satisfaction.
At the 10- and 12-year follow-ups, participants were asked about their mental and physical health, behaviours, and general social functioning.
The team measured 17 types of adverse childhood events, including adoption, extreme poverty and neglect, sustained family conflict, life-threatening illness, and domestic violence.
They also looked at household income, social status, and employment status.
Nearly 900 individuals surveyed faced adverse childhood experiences, and for that group the researchers identified two wellbeing pathways: a “resilient” group who maintained moderate to high wellbeing over time, and a “risk” group whose wellbeing remained low.
Those in the “ACE-resilient” group experienced profound long-term benefits, including being 74% less likely than their low-resilience peers to develop a psychiatric illness, and a greatly lessened risk of becoming obese, suffering from migraines, sleep problems, and alcohol abuse issues.
They also reported better relationships, greater social support, higher life satisfaction and more positive coping strategies.
“What surprised me most was how people can maintain and rebuild their wellbeing over time, even after early adversity,” Prof. Gatt says.
“It shows why investing in wellbeing is just as important as treating distress.”