Early Childhood: Socioemotional Risks

Abstract

Socioemotional development in early childhood broadly pertains to the quality of children's evolving participation in relationships, with the parent–child relationship serving as a primary focus in early childhood. This article discusses socioemotional development in early childhood from the vantage point of attachment theory. It is argued that specific threats to the quality of parenting will place young children at risk for insecure attachment and, in turn, for socioemotional difficulties in the wider world. Socioemotional risks from the parent, the parent's social-ecological niche, and the child are examined, and include nonautonomous parental states of mind with regard to attachment, parental psychopathology, marital discord, insufficient parental social supports, and difficult infant temperament. Individual and cumulative effects of risks are addressed, along with suggestions for future directions that include closer examination of the manner in which protective and risk factors interact in predicting children's socioemotional health.