top of page

Co-Constructing the Past

There are a variety of social, emotional and developmental outcomes in childhood.

PHOTOBOOK.png

We have found many are linked to parent-child reminiscing about past negative emotional events.

What we studied:

We examined how parents and children talk about past events and how these narratives influence children’s social and emotional development.

What we found:

Parents who reminisced in more adaptive ways (i.e., more emotional and elaborative style) had children who showed more empathic and prosocial behaviours. We also found that parent-child reminiscing was linked to children’s cognitive skills.

What's next:

We are extending this work by looking at how parent-child reminiscing about pain and sadness affects children’s development over time. 

These research projects have been funded by the SSHRC Insight Development Grant and the SSHRC Insight Grant.

Pain is real. Change the conversation.

bottom of page