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Publications [#321672] of Terrie E. Moffitt

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Journal Articles

  1. Schaefer, JD; Caspi, A; Belsky, DW; Harrington, H; Houts, R; Horwood, LJ; Hussong, A; Ramrakha, S; Poulton, R; Moffitt, TE (2017). Enduring mental health: Prevalence and prediction.. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 126(2), 212-224. [doi]
    (last updated on 2024/03/18)

    Abstract:
    We review epidemiological evidence indicating that most people will develop a diagnosable mental disorder, suggesting that only a minority experience enduring mental health. This minority has received little empirical study, leaving the prevalence and predictors of enduring mental health unknown. We turn to the population-representative Dunedin cohort, followed from birth to midlife, to compare people never-diagnosed with mental disorder (N = 171; 17% prevalence) to those diagnosed at 1-2 study waves, the cohort mode (N = 409). Surprisingly, compared to this modal group, never-diagnosed Study members were not born into unusually well-to-do families, nor did their enduring mental health follow markedly sound physical health, or unusually high intelligence. Instead, they tended to have an advantageous temperament/personality style, and negligible family history of mental disorder. As adults, they report superior educational and occupational attainment, greater life satisfaction, and higher-quality relationships. Our findings draw attention to "enduring mental health" as a revealing psychological phenotype and suggest it deserves further study. (PsycINFO Database Record


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