Earliest memories and family history knowledge among New Zealand Māori, European, and Chinese adolescents in relation to identity and well-being

Cultural differences exist in early autobiographical memories. This study included 268 New Zealand youth (12–21 years) who identified primarily as New Zealand Māori (NZM; n = 91), New Zealand European (NZE; n = 90), or New Zealand Chinese (NZC; n = 88). Participants narrated their earliest memories and reported on their age at the time of the event; memory narratives were coded for coherence and content. Participants also reported on their family history knowledge, identity (ethnic identity and personality traits), and well-being. The main finding was that of no cultural, gender, or age differences in the age of earliest memory, although younger adolescents told less coherent earliest memories. In contrast, the content of earliest memories (emotions; self-other focus) differed by cultural group, gender, and age in complex ways. For NZ Māori and NZ European adolescents, only females showed age-related increases in family history knowledge. For NZ Māori adolescents, family history knowledge uniquely predicted ethnic identity. For both NZ Māori and NZ Chinese adolescents, earliest memories uniquely predicted well-being, yet in different ways. Earliest memories and family history knowledge are both important for adolescents’ self-understanding and well-being.