Unpredictable Family Support During Childhood as a Predictor of Well-Being and Unpredictability Beliefs During a Pandemic

Life History Theory explains how environmental conditions can lead to adaptive behaviors in adulthood. One of the factors that impact early psychological development and adult well-being is the family unpredictability experienced during childhood, i.e., inconsistent parental provision of basic needs (e.g., emotional nurturance, financial stability, and meal regularity). The aim of this study was to explore the impact of childhood family unpredictability on subjective well-being and unpredictability beliefs among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted survey-type research with a quasi-experimental design involving 422 participants who completed online questionnaires on perceptions of childhood family unpredictability and current levels of subjective well-being and unpredictability beliefs. Based on their childhood perceptions, participants were categorized into three groups: low overall unpredictability, mixed unpredictability, and high overall unpredictability. We found that the low overall unpredictability group reported higher levels of subjective well-being and lower levels of self-unpredictability beliefs compared to the other two groups. Participants in the mixed unpredictability group reported moderate levels of both subjective well-being and self-unpredictability beliefs compared to the other two groups. Regarding levels of world unpredictability beliefs, all groups exhibited similar patterns. In this case, the pandemic may increase perceptions of world unpredictability, potentially overshadowing childhood experiences of predictability. Notably, the predictability in family emotional support during childhood had a significant influence on adult behavior, surpassing the impact of financial unpredictability. Our findings stress the role of family predictability in aspects related to quality of life, highlighting that beliefs related to unpredictability may lead to less healthy coping strategies in response to adversity compared to those who perceive their environment as predictable.