Phoenix 24
Childhood experiences are shaping health, education and working life years later.
Copenhagen, Denmark
More than two-thirds of young adults in Europe report having experienced at least one form of serious adversity during childhood, according to a new study from the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe. The findings suggest that experiences such as domestic violence, parental loss, emotional abuse, neglect and household instability are not isolated personal events. Their effects can persist into adulthood, influencing mental health, physical well-being, education, employment and relationships.
The study surveyed more than 26,000 people between the ages of 18 and 30 across Europe between November 2025 and January 2026. Researchers examined nine forms of adverse childhood experience, including physical, emotional and sexual abuse, physical neglect, substance misuse within the household, parental mental illness, separation or death of a parent and exposure to domestic violence. More than one in five participants reported four or more adverse experiences.
The consequences become particularly visible among those exposed to multiple forms of adversity. Young adults reporting four or more adverse childhood experiences were substantially more likely to experience physical discomfort, difficulty studying or working, mobility problems and challenges with everyday self-care. They were also far more likely to say they had needed professional mental-health support during the previous year.
The gap in access to care is especially concerning. Among young adults with four or more adverse childhood experiences, 76.3 percent said they had needed professional mental-health support, compared with 36.7 percent among those who reported none. Yet those carrying the greatest burden were also more likely to say that the support they needed had not been available to them.
The findings reinforce a broader public-policy argument: childhood adversity should not be treated only as a mental-health issue. Its effects can appear later in schools, workplaces, healthcare systems and social relationships. Chronic stress during early development can influence emotional regulation and physiological stress responses, creating consequences that extend well beyond childhood itself.
There is also an intergenerational dimension. Without prevention and early intervention, adults who experienced severe childhood adversity may later face financial stress, mental-health difficulties or unstable family environments that increase risks for the next generation. At the same time, the study emphasizes that adverse experiences do not determine a person’s future and that timely support can reduce long-term harm.
The policy challenge is therefore not simply to treat the consequences after they appear. It is to build safer family environments, strengthen early intervention and make psychological support accessible before adversity becomes embedded across an entire life course.
What happens in childhood rarely stays in childhood.