The University of Zurich analysed open-ended responses from 1,442 participants in a long-term study. Each person answered questions at ages 15, 17, 20 and 24. The research team used automated language-processing methods to classify thousands of free-text answers into topic groups.
Most events mentioned were positive: overall, 83% were described in positive terms. The most common topics were school, training and apprenticeships (almost half of mentions), friendships and romantic relationships (around 12%), personal development and mental well-being (about 8%), and travel and stays abroad (approximately 7%).
The study also found that participants with more severe anxiety and depression reported stressful relationship experiences, conflicts, loss and personal failures more often and referred less often to positive events. The authors suggest that support services should include attention to stable relationships, positive experiences and opportunities to build self-efficacy.
Difficult words
- analyse — examine information or data carefullyanalysed
- participant — person who takes part in a study or activityparticipants
- open-ended response — answer that allows a person to write freelyopen-ended responses
- automated — done by machines or computer programs
- classify — put items into groups with similar features
- anxiety — feeling of worry or nervousness that is strong
- depression — long period of low mood and low energy
- self-efficacy — belief in one’s ability to do tasks
- stable relationship — close connection that lasts over timestable relationships
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Discussion questions
- How could support services help young people build self-efficacy in everyday life?
- Why might people with anxiety and depression refer less often to positive events in their answers?
- Which of the common topics in the study (school, relationships, personal development, travel) matters most to you at that age, and why?
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