University of Otago research has found the toddlers of mothers who received special coaching in talking about memories with them grew into teenagers who told more coherent stories about turning points in their lives.
Project lead and department of psychology researcher Prof Elaine Reese said these adolescents also reported fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than adolescents in the study whose mothers had conversed with their toddlers as usual.
The research was a follow-up of an intervention 14 years ago, in which 115 mothers were either assigned to a control group or given training in "elaborative reminiscing" for a year, she said.
Elaborative reminiscing involved open and responsive conversations with young children about everyday past events, such as feeding ducks at the park.
Adolescents whose mothers had participated in the earlier coaching sessions narrated difficult events from their lives — such as parental divorce or cyber-bullying — with more insight into how the experience had shaped them as people.
"We believe parents’ elaborative reminiscing helps children develop more complete, specific and accurate memories of their experiences, providing a richer store of memories to use when forming their identities in adolescence.
"Elaborative reminiscing also teaches children how to have open discussions about past feelings when they’re no longer in the heat of the moment."
She hoped parents and policymakers realised the importance of having positive conversations with very young children, and that such conversations could make a difference as children grew older.
"The ultimate goal is to encourage parents to have more sensitive and responsive conversations about events in their children’s lives."
Lead author and clinical psychologist Dr Claire Mitchell said a great deal of research showed wellbeing could drop dramatically in adolescence.
"For some young people, this dip is the beginning of more severe mental health issues that can be difficult to treat.
"It is important to find ways to prevent mental health difficulties earlier in life if possible."
