Linguistic models that analyzed the words children used when talking about stressful events were better at predicting future mental health problems than a panel of human experts.
In a study published in Nature Mental Health, researchers used four natural language processing models to evaluate recorded interviews of more than 200 children, ages 9 to 13, as they talked about stressful events in their lives.
The models were highly accurate at predicting whether these same children developed mental health conditions six years later.
While not as predictive as linguistic style, the content of the speech did show important links to either future problems or resilience.
The statements associated most strongly with risk described extreme physical violence, such as being punched or choked, or harsh social exclusion, such as feeling an entire school was against them.
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