Seeds of Hope

Cross-National Analysis of Childhood Predictors of Hope in 22 Countries

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7147381
AutoresVictor Counted (0000-0003-0944-3775, Regent University, autor de correspondencia), K Long (0000-0003-3393-3635, Harvard University), Katelyn N G Long, Richard G Cowden (0000-0002-9027-4253, Harvard University), Charlotte V O Witvliet (0000-0003-4364-6816, Belmont University), Cristina B Gibson (0000-0002-1655-7351, Pepperdine University), Cristina Gibson, Alicia Cortright (Wisconsin Lutheran College), James Walsh (0000-0002-8839-5865), James A Walsh (0000-0002-4822-990X, Development Fund), Emily Purcell (0009-0006-1515-5138, Regent University), Fernando Garzon (0000-0002-4511-9932), Fernando L Garzon (0000-0001-5435-8591, Regent University), William Hathaway, W T Hathaway (Regent University), Bryan R Johnson (0000-0002-3337-3810, Baylor University), Byron R Johnson, Tyler J Vanderweele (0000-0002-6112-0239, Harvard University)
Año2025
Volumen20
Número3
Páginas1111-1137
Fecha de publicación2025-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaApplied Research in Quality of Life (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1871-2576 • E-ISSN: 1871-2584
EditorialSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s11482-025-10450-0
PMID40787645
OpenAlexW4410504239
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas55

This study investigates childhood predictors of adult hope across 22 countries, leveraging data from 202,898 participants in the Global Flourishing Study. Key findings indicate that positive childhood experiences, such as excellent or very good health, supportive parental relationships, and regular religious attendance, are strongly associated with higher levels of hope in adulthood. Conversely, negative experiences like abuse and feeling like an outsider during childhood are linked to lower levels of hope. In many countries, excellent self-rated health during childhood emerged as a strong predictor of future hope (β = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.31, 0.65), whereas experiences of abuse correlated with lower hope levels (β = -0.16, 95% CI: -0.22, -0.10). The association between attending religious services during childhood and future hope showed notable variation in effect sizes across countries, with weekly childhood attendance in Sweden demonstrating a significant increase in hope (β = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.54) on weekly attendance, while Indonesia also showed a significant but smaller increase (β = 0.18, 95% CI: -0.04, 0.40), with Argentina showing essentially no association (β = 0.03, 95% CI: -0.13, 0.20). The impact of parental relationships varied, with notable differences observed in countries like Germany and India. These associations were robust to potential confounding, as indicated by sensitivity analyses using E-values. This cross-national study underscores the potential role of early life experiences in shaping hope, offering valuable benchmarks for future research and interventions aimed at fostering hope from a young age in diverse cultural contexts

Attendance · Confounding · Developmental psychology · Early childhood · Feeling · Flourishing · Political science · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Public health · Quality of Life Research · Sociology · Clinical Psychology · Demography · Medicine · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Psychology