According to a new study, sharing memories with toddlers benefits them in adulthood. As such the more detail mothers give their toddlers about their memories and how they related to what toddlers were currently going through, the fewer mental health issues these toddlers had as adults. Something that researchers want to look into further to determine just how "interventions" such as these at an early age make young adults happier as they make their way into the world alone.
Researchers from the University of Otago found that when mothers expressed their memories of when they were the age of their toddlers, these toddlers grew up into young adults who faced fewer bouts of depression and higher self-esteem than their peers who were raised without the "soft intervention" of sharing memories, according to Medical Xpress.
The study, which was published in the journal, Journal of Research in Personality, looked at 115 mother and toddler duos to see how a method of "reminiscing intervention" would result in toddlers' ability to adapt and mental health as they age into adults.
Reminiscing intervention, according to Neuroscience News, is where people share memories in a fashion that allows participation on all sides to discuss how memories in the past are relevant to what is happening in the present. The discussion allows for questions, points of view, and delving deeper into memories than just anecdotal conversation.
This long-term study started when children were in toddlerhood and then followed up with the participants when they were 21 years of age, according to the study.
What researchers found was that the toddlers who were in the group whose mothers used reminiscing intervention, they were able to express clearly what turning points in their lives got them to where they were at that moment. Something that the control group was not as successful at doing.
This method of intervention is important, according to researchers, given that young adults who are venturing out on their own for the first time may be lacking confidence in how they cope with new "challenges" that are all part of navigating the world without parents being there every step of the way.
Those who best dealt with the obstacles being put in their way or were able to navigate successfully in university or professional life, according to Medical Xpress, where the young adults, who as toddlers, received a reminiscing intervention.
As a result, researchers believe this mode of intervention will be highly successful when not only used at home but in schools as well. It is something that is recommended as a result of this comprehensive study.
Source: Medical Xpress, Journal of Research in Personality, Neuroscience News