"Victor Counted et al. (2025) conducted a cross-national analysis of childhood predictors of hope in 22 countries appropriately entitled "Seeds of Hope."[i] They found that positive childhood experiences, including states of mind and being such as supportive parental relationships, very good health, as well as consistent religious attendance, were strongly linked with higher levels of hope during adulthood. On the other end of the spectrum, negative experiences including abuse and feeling like an outsider during one's childhood produced less hope."
"General conclusions aside, Counted et al. note fluctuations in the relationship between childhood experiences and adult hope within different countries. There was a direct relationship in many countries between childhood health and future hope, with abuse liked to lower levels of hope. Childhood religious service attendance also impacted an adult's levels of hopefulness differently in different countries. In Sweden, weekly attendance resulted in a significant increase in hope, with less of an impact demonstrated in Indonesia, and virtually no association found in Argentina."
Positive childhood experiences such as supportive parental relationships, very good health, and consistent religious attendance correlate with higher adult hope. Negative experiences including abuse and childhood alienation correlate with lower adult hope. The strength of these relationships varies across countries. Childhood health shows a direct association with later hope in many nations. Religious service attendance impacts hope differently by country—weekly attendance strongly increased hope in Sweden, less so in Indonesia, and showed virtually no association in Argentina. Parental relationship effects also fluctuate internationally. Self-rated childhood health robustly predicts hopeful adults, linking physical well-being with cognitive and emotional resilience.
Read at Psychology Today
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