How childhood mental health can shape adult physical health

A new study has revealed how childhood mental health and physical health in midlife are closely intertwined.

What we asked you

When you were 11, we asked your teachers about your social and emotional behaviour, including whether you showed any signs of mental health difficulties, aggression or hyperactivity. We gathered similar information from the parents of the participants in another study, born in 1970, when they were 10 years old.

Throughout your adult lives you, and the participants in the 1970 cohort, have told us about your physical health.

A team of researchers at universities in Hong Kong and China analysed the information from both studies to explore how your childhood experiences and midlife health interconnect.

What the research found

The researchers found that poor midlife health was more prevalent among people who had experienced emotional and behavioural problems during childhood.

People who had these difficulties growing up were more likely to develop high blood pressure and diabetes later in life, while those with emotional problems were also at greater risk of obesity.

Why this research matters

Understanding how experiences in childhood can influence later life health is crucial. These new findings from NCDS could help identify actions to mitigate the long-term risk of cardiometabolic diseases, including high blood pressure and diabetes.

The researchers recommend that children with a difficult start in life should be regarded as at risk for these conditions. They suggest that investing in mental health services for children and young people, especially in poorer communities, would have long-term benefits for physical health.

Read the full research paper

Childhood psychosocial adjustment and midlife obesity, diabetes and hypertension: prospective study from two birth cohorts by Lin Liu, Kevin Chun Hei Wu, Anping Cai, Aimin Xu and Bernard M. Y. Cheung was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in October 2024.