Family background and peer victimization are associated with generalized trust from adolescence to adulthood

AI Summary

Generalized trust declines from 13 to 17 then slightly increases to 24; rank-order stability strengthens across adolescence.
Socioeconomic disadvantage and migration background predict lower trust and slower recovery, producing widening trust disparities over time.
Maternal trust and parental involvement linked to higher trust; aversive parenting, divorce and peer victimization, notably increases at ages 17 and 20, linked to lower trust.

Commun Psychol. 2026 May 22. doi: 10.1038/s44271-026-00474-z. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Trust in others plays an important role in psychological development. However, longitudinal and developmentally informed research on trust remains limited and fragmented across disciplines. This study aimed to investigate the developmental course of generalized trust from adolescence into young adulthood, and to test sociodemographic, family-level, and peer victimization-related antecedents of trust in an urban cohort. Generalized trust was self-reported at age 13, 15, 17, 20, and 24 in the Zurich Project on Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood (z-proso; n = 1,481). Mean-level and rank-order stability of trust were described. Growth trajectories were modeled using longitudinal linear mixed models (LMMs). Sociodemographic and childhood family-level factors, and longitudinal peer victimization were tested as predictors of trust. Mean-levels of trust followed a curvilinear trajectory characterized by an early decline from age 13 to 17 (Cohen’s d = -.48) and a slight increase from age 17 to 24 (d = .11). Rank-order stability of trust increased throughout adolescence (Spearman’s r = .40 to 0.58). Notably, socioeconomic disadvantage and migration background were each associated with widening trust disparities over time. Individuals from more disadvantaged backgrounds showed lower and more slowly recovering trust trajectories compared to their more advantaged peers. Maternal trust and parental involvement were associated with higher trust, whereas aversive parenting and parental divorce or separation were linked with lower trust. Peer victimization was associated with lower trust, while increases in peer victimization showed the strongest associations with trust at ages 17 and 20. Generalized trust is a malleable yet increasingly stable construct from adolescence into adulthood. Childhood and adolescent risk and protective factors are important contributors to trust development and should be considered when designing developmentally informed policies and interventions.

PMID:42174158 | DOI:10.1038/s44271-026-00474-z

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