“Greater maternal warmth, defined as more praise, positive tone of voice and acts of affection, has previously been shown to predict better health across the lifespan. However, the mechanisms underlying these associations have been unclear,” said lead study author, Dr. Jenna Alley, a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research at UCLA, in a press release.
One possible mechanism is that early interpersonal experiences influence perceptions of the social world as safe or threatening, accepting or rejecting, and supporting or dismissive. Over time, these perceptions become mental frameworks known as ‘social safety schemas’, which underlie how individuals interpret and predict social situations and relationships.
In the current study, researchers investigated how maternal warmth at 3 years old affects perceptions of social safety schemas at age 14 and physical and mental health parameters at age 17. To do so, they analyzed data from the Millenium Cohort Study in the UK, wherein independent evaluators visited children’s homes at 3 years old to assess maternal warmth and harshness. Social safety schemas were assessed at age 14 through questions like "Do I have family and friends who help me feel safe, secure and happy?", and children reported their overall physical and mental health at age 17.
Ultimately, the researchers found that children with mothers exhibiting more maternal warmth in early childhood perceived the world as being more socially safe at 14 and had fewer physical and health problems at 17. They further found that children’s social safety schemas fully account for the link between maternal warmth and levels of psychological distress at 17.
"These are the first results we know of showing that maternal warmth can affect the health and wellbeing of kids years later by influencing how they think about the social world. That is a powerful message, because although early-life circumstances are not always easy to change, we can help youth view others and their future in a more positive light," said senior study author, Dr. George Slavich, Director of the Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research at UCLA, in a press release.
Sources: Science Daily, JAMA Psychiatry
