# Editorial perspective: protective factors following cumulative childhood adversity

## TL;DR

This paper discusses how protective factors can help individuals overcome the negative effects of childhood adversity and promote positive adult outcomes.

## Contribution

The paper highlights the importance of holistic interventions and assessments in fostering resilience among those with childhood adversity.

## Key findings

- Protective factors can interrupt negative developmental trajectories from childhood adversity.
- Social support and education are beneficial for those with childhood adversity.
- Holistic assessments are crucial for promoting resilience and understanding mental and behavioral issues.

## Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences can have a significant impact on adult psychosocial outcomes. However, negative outcomes are not inevitable, and protective factors can interrupt the realisation of negative developmental trajectories and result in positive adaptation in spite of childhood adversity. Interventions that promote social support, encourage education and academic achievement, and address specific personality and dispositional factors are likely to beneficial for those with experience of childhood adversity. Holistic assessment that considers both neurodevelopmental conditions and trauma symptoms is also important for promoting resilience and avoiding assumptions that mental and behavioural problems in children with cumulative adversity are purely ‘social’.