Arguably, growth and development of an individual, is continuous and entails a lot of phys8ical and psychological changes. As a matter of fact, there is a relationship between childhood experience and adult outcomes. The study of the existing relationship between childhood experience and adulthood outcome is inherently interdisciplinary subject. This implies that sociologists and psychologists have made a lot of crucial contribution in understanding of childhood experiences that mould subsequent adult outcomes and development. The existing relationship between adult outcome and childhood experiences vary significantly and are modest, especially in historical and social context. These relationships occur depending on the complexity of the interplay of environmental and personal forces. Some of the factors that bring out the relationship between childhood experiences and adulthood outcome include environmental stability, internal deposition, as well as cognitive and biological development. These factors work towards the development of continuity in behaviors, life goal attainment, and feelings.
Conversably, the behaviors of individuals during adulthood in some occasions reflect the experience that took place during childhood growth and development. Based on real life experience, adult abuse of alcohol and substance can be directly linked to childhood experiences. Perhaps, the adult outcome behaviors related to drug and substance abuse has some connection with family dysfunction and childhood abuse. Children who suffer in the face of abusive parents and who belong to families that do not function well are vulnerable to alcohol and drug abuse. In this case, it is evident that adverse childhood experiences leads to adult alcohol and drug problems. Hence, it implies that the childhood experience influences the adulthood outcome.
Additionally, another aspect of childhood experiences that is linked to adulthood outcomes is the functional status. In most cases, those individuals who suffered an abuse during childhood develop impairments in undertaking certain functions. For example, children who were sexually abused during childhood, showed various characteristics of physical impairments and functioning. Perhaps, such adults become confined only to bed, as well as restricting themselves in normal activities that relate to sex. (Shanahan & Mortimer 393)
Studies show that childhood experiences have tremendous influence on adult outcomes. Socialization is one of the imperative aspects in human life, which is developed and built from one stage of growth to another. Undeniably, social pathways from childhood to adulthood affect the health and development of an individual. Individuals who did not have good social life during childhood have a lot of problems on issues related to interpersonal relationship as well as intimate relationships (Petruckevitch & Coid 450). Social relationships are critical in once life, this is because it is childhood quality of life on physical and health experiences are linked to general adult outcomes (Shanahan & Mortimer 391). The intelligence and education outcomes during adulthood have a link to childhood experiences. Scholars assert that those children who had unstable childhood on health and physical abuse have poor educational development. In fact, verbal abuse during childhood hinders the language score during adulthood. Therefore, Intellectual and academic experiences during childhood will persist in influencing adult outcome (Petruckevitch & Coid 452).
Additionally, childhood maltreatment experiences is one of the main health issue that is correlate to physical conditions, which in turn lead to social and psychiatric morbidity problems during adulthood. For example, women who received a lot of abuses during childhood have the highest risk of being abused during adulthood. Moreover, childhood maltreatment leads to domestic violence during adulthood (Shanahan & Mortimer 395). Furthermore, the confidence level of individuals during adulthood reflects the lifestyle and experiences of childhood. Those who had a bad childhood experience have low self-esteem and self-confidence. They remain with the mentality that they are inferior in their entire life, if this is not countered during adulthood, it will persist. Hence, it is evident that childhood experiences influences adulthood outcomes.
Work Cited
Petruckevitch, A & Coid, J. Relation Between Children Sexual and Physical Abuses and Risk of
Revictimisation in Women: A Cross-sectional Survey. Vol 358, 2001
Shanahan, M. & Mortimer, J. Handbook of the Life Course. Minnesota. Springer, 2006 391-400
