Santana-Ferrándiz Miriam, Ibáñez-Pérez Jesús, Moret-Tatay Carmen
Doctoral School, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, 46002 Valencia, Spain.
Faculty of Psychology, Catholic University of Valencia San Vicente Mártir, 46100 Valencia, Spain.
Children (Basel). 2025 Apr 4;12(4):465. doi: 10.3390/children12040465.
Parental empathy and sensitivity play a crucial role in the development of child attachment and socioemotional growth, influencing emotional regulation, social skills, and psychological well-being. However, no comprehensive systematic review integrates emotional, genetic, and neurobiological perspectives.
this systematic review aims to synthesize existing evidence on the relationship between parental empathy and sensitivity with child attachment and socioemotional development, integrating classical theories with contemporary findings and considering contextual factors such as adversity and intergenerational dynamics.
searches were conducted for studies published between 1993 and 2024. Empirical studies examining empathy (affective, cognitive, and multidimensional), parental sensitivity, child attachment (secure, avoidant, ambivalent, disorganized, or DMM), and socioemotional development were included. A total of 16 studies met the inclusion criteria, encompassing longitudinal, cross-sectional, genetic, neurobiological, and experimental designs.
key findings include the following: positive socialization predicted greater empathy, and self-regulation maternal anxiety reduced sensitivity and indirectly affected attachment; emotional empathy positively influenced sensitivity; genetic predispositions affected sensitivity through crying; neurobiological studies revealed altered PCC-amygdala connectivity in postpartum depression.
the findings demonstrate that parental empathy and sensitivity significantly influence child attachment security and socioemotional development through emotional regulation, genetic predispositions, and neurobiological mechanisms. This review provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the parent-child bond and highlights implications for evidence-based parenting interventions.
父母的同理心和敏感性在儿童依恋和社会情感发展中起着至关重要的作用，影响着情绪调节、社交技能和心理健康。然而，尚无全面的系统综述整合情感、遗传和神经生物学观点。
本系统综述旨在综合现有证据，探讨父母同理心和敏感性与儿童依恋及社会情感发展之间的关系，将经典理论与当代研究结果相结合，并考虑诸如逆境和代际动态等背景因素。
检索了1993年至2024年发表的研究。纳入了考察同理心（情感、认知和多维度）、父母敏感性、儿童依恋（安全型、回避型、矛盾型、混乱型或基于发展性精神病理学的测量）以及社会情感发展的实证研究。共有16项研究符合纳入标准，涵盖纵向、横断面、遗传、神经生物学和实验设计。
主要发现如下：积极的社会化预测了更高的同理心，母亲焦虑的自我调节降低了敏感性并间接影响依恋；情感同理心对敏感性有积极影响；遗传易感性通过哭泣影响敏感性；神经生物学研究揭示了产后抑郁症中前扣带回 - 杏仁核连接的改变。
研究结果表明，父母的同理心和敏感性通过情绪调节、遗传易感性和神经生物学机制显著影响儿童依恋安全性和社会情感发展。本综述为理解亲子关系提供了一个全面的框架，并强调了对循证育儿干预措施的启示。
