Flourishing in early adulthood among victimised children:A longitudinal cohort study

Purpose: Childhood victimisation has lifelong adverse consequences including lower well-being and functional impairments in adulthood. Nonetheless, some victimised individuals appear to fare well, although it remains unclear whether they flourish (i.e., experience overall well-being and optimal functioning).<br/>Methods: We used data from the nationally representative Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, which followed 2,232 children born in 1994-1995 across England and Wales to age 18 (93% retention, N = 2,066). Victimisation was prospectively assessed between ages 5-12, capturing exposure to severe physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, physical neglect, peer bullying, and domestic violence. Flourishing was assessed at age 18 across four domains: social well-being, education and cognition, physical health, and mental well-being.<br/>Results: Over a third of the 558 victimised children flourished on at least one measure within all four domains at age 18, with the highest flourishing rates found for perceptions of social support, social status, and sleep quality. Experiencing two or more types of victimisation was associated with lower flourishing for perceived social status (adjusted odds ratio [adj.OR] = 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.28, 0.73, p = .001) and slower biological aging (adj.OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.35, 0.93, p = .024) compared to single victimisation exposure. Victimised girls were more likely to flourish in their educational attainment than boys (adj.OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.02, 2.55, p = .042).<br/>Discussion: A substantial proportion of victimised children flourished across multiple domains in early adulthood. Identifying enabling factors could inform promotive interventions.