The relationship between positive childhood experiences and flourishing via self compassion and gratitude

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. This study was supported by the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit of İnönü University (Project ID: 4995; Project Code: SBA-2026-4995).

Department of Psychology, İnönü University, 44000, Battalgaz, Malatya, Türkiye University Social and Human Sciences Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee ethically approved the study (Approval No: 2025/19–07). The procedures of this study were performed in line with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later revisions. The study’s objectives were clearly explained to all participants of the study, and assurances of confidentiality and anonymity were provided.

Before taking part, informed consent was obtained from all the participants. The author declares no competing interests. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.