The relationship between positive childhood experiences and flourishing via self-compassion and gratitude
Abstract
From ancient times to the present, the concept of happiness has consistently occupied a significant place in philosophical discourse and religious doctrine. People have pursued a “good” and “happy” life and have thought about the reasons behind such a life. Although existing literature suggests that positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are positively linked to flourishing, the underlying psychological processes remain relatively unexplored. Therefore, this study aims to address this limitation by examining associational relations between PCEs and flourishing, including self-compassion and gratitude as potential associated variables, as well as their sequential association. The participant group consisted of 499 Turkish adults aged between 18 and 52 years (M = 27.11, SD = 8.14), representing a broad range of adulthood stages. The results revealed that PCEs were positively related to self-compassion, gratitude, and flourishing. Similarly, self-compassion was positively linked with gratitude and flourishing, and gratitude was positively correlated with flourishing. It was also found that both self-compassion and gratitude indicated significant associative relations in the relationship between PCEs and flourishing. The results also indicated a smaller but significant sequential association involving self-compassion and gratitude. The present study contributes to the expanding literature by providing a more comprehensive understanding of the link between childhood experiences and adult psychological outcomes. It also highlights the significance of childhood experiences for practitioners and identifies critical psychological factors that may be important to foster to improve flourishing in adulthood.
Related
- Association of childhood experiences with wellbeing and flourishing outcomes in Indian adults: Evidence from the India Sample of the Global Flourishing Study (GFS)
- Adverse Childhood Experiences and Flourishing Among Emerging Adult College Students: Religious Beliefs/Spirituality and Social Support as Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)-Informed Mechanisms.
- Mediating Role of Hope in the Relationship between Happiness and Positive Childhood Experiences among University Students
- Investigating the relationship between childhood interpersonal traumatic experiences and appraisals, belonging, shame, and dissociation.
- Identifying expanded adverse childhood experiences and examining their relationship with health outcomes: a systematic review protocol
BibTeX
@article{cagıs2026relationship,
title = {{The relationship between positive childhood experiences and flourishing via self-compassion and gratitude}},
author = {Zafer Güney Çağış},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-72780-9},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-72780-9},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The relationship between positive childhood experiences and flourishing via self-compassion and gratitude
AU - Zafer Güney Çağış
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-72780-9
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-72780-9
AB - From ancient times to the present, the concept of happiness has consistently occupied a significant place in philosophical discourse and religious doctrine. People have pursued a “good” and “happy” life and have thought about the reasons behind such a life. Although existing literature suggests that positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are positively linked to flourishing, the underlying psychological processes remain relatively unexplored. Therefore, this study aims to address this limitation by examining associational relations between PCEs and flourishing, including self-compassion and gratitude as potential associated variables, as well as their sequential association. The participant group consisted of 499 Turkish adults aged between 18 and 52 years (M = 27.11, SD = 8.14), representing a broad range of adulthood stages. The results revealed that PCEs were positively related to self-compassion, gratitude, and flourishing. Similarly, self-compassion was positively linked with gratitude and flourishing, and gratitude was positively correlated with flourishing. It was also found that both self-compassion and gratitude indicated significant associative relations in the relationship between PCEs and flourishing. The results also indicated a smaller but significant sequential association involving self-compassion and gratitude. The present study contributes to the expanding literature by providing a more comprehensive understanding of the link between childhood experiences and adult psychological outcomes. It also highlights the significance of childhood experiences for practitioners and identifies critical psychological factors that may be important to foster to improve flourishing in adulthood.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -