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The way children speak may reveal risk of mental health problems

2026-08-14 18:48:02Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
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A new study from Stanford University suggests that the way children talk about stressful experiences or difficult events may be a better predictor of their risk for future mental health problems than the content of what they say.

According to researchers, exposure to stress in early childhood is one of the greatest public health challenges and is linked to up to a third of psychiatric diagnoses in adulthood. However, until now, tools have been lacking to accurately identify which children are most at risk.

The study interviewed more than 200 children aged 9 to 13 about their stressful experiences. Using artificial intelligence tools for language analysis, the researchers were able to predict which of them were most likely to develop anxiety or depression in the coming years, based solely on the way they spoke.

The analysis revealed several specific language patterns associated with higher risk. One of them was the frequent use of prepositions, which indicates a more complex narrative, as well as the use of absolute language, with words like “always” or “never.” These speech styles were associated with a greater risk of developing internalizing emotional problems.

On the other hand, children who more often used third-person pronouns, such as "he," "she," or "they," orienting the narrative more toward others than themselves, were found to have a lower risk.

The researchers also analyzed the content of the stories. They found that topics related to conflict, fear, violence, or social exclusion predicted more severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. In contrast, stories about play, sports, pets, daily activities, or mentions of mental health care were associated with a lower risk.

According to the authors, the content of narratives shows what a child has experienced, while the style of speech reveals the way he organizes and emotionally processes those experiences.

Researchers emphasize that speech analysis can become a simple, inexpensive, and accessible tool for the early identification of children in need of psychological support, before clinical disorders appear.


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