Positive Childhood Experiences, Suicide Cognitions, Subjective Happiness, and Mental Well-Being in Young Adults: A Half-Longitudinal Serial Mediation Study

Abstract

Childhood experiences play an important role in shaping individuals' well-being. The relationships between childhood experiences, suicide cognitions, happiness, and mental well-being have been examined with cross-sectional methods. However, the lack of any longitudinal study in which these variables were examined together made it necessary to conduct this study. In this study, we tested whether suicide cognitions and subjective happiness serially mediate the relationship between positive childhood experiences and mental well-being. After matching the data obtained from the first (T1) and second waves (T2) of the study, the final sample consisted of 234 Turkish young adults (M = 20.70 years, SD = 2.22). Participants completed the Positive Childhood Experiences Scale, The Brief Suicide Cognitions Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale, and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale Short Form. For this purpose, a study was conducted in two separate time waves and structural equation modeling was used to test longitudinal serial mediation between variables. According to the results, suicide cognitions and subjective happiness play a serial mediating role in the longitudinal relationship between positive childhood experiences and mental well-being. These findings provide both theoretical insight into the cognitive and emotional mechanisms linking early childhood experiences to mental well-being and practical implications for mental health promotion in young adulthood. The findings of the study were discussed and interpreted in detail in the light of the relevant literature.