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Scientific Progress in Mapping the Relational Ecology of Early Child Development: A Systematic Scoping Review
Siobhan O'Dean1, Elizabeth Spry2,3, Tracy Evans-Whipp2
1The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review
|April 25, 2025
Summary
Research on early child development shows that the complex web of relationships, or relational ecology, is understudied. Most research focuses narrowly on the mother-child bond, neglecting broader social connections crucial for child well-being.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Social Network Analysis
- Child-Caregiver Relationships
Background:
- Secure child-caregiver relationships form within a complex relational ecology.
- Understanding this ecology is vital for early child development and relational health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically scope the research on the relational ecology of child-caregiver relationships from conception to age 3.
- To identify studies using social network analysis (SNA) and examine predictors within the relational ecosystem.
Main Methods:
- Systematic scoping review of 11,226 articles (searched Feb-Sep 2023, re-run Mar 2025).
- Phase 1: Searched for studies using applied social network analysis (SNA).
- Phase 2: Examined studies on associations between relational ecology elements and child-caregiver relationships.
Main Results:
- No studies were found using SNA to investigate the relational ecology of early child-caregiver relationships.
- 122 studies identified individual predictors, predominantly focusing on the mother-child dyad within the family microsystem.
- Higher-level systems (meso-, exo-, macrosystems) and other microsystem aspects were largely neglected.
Conclusions:
- Observational research has significantly neglected the broader relational ecology influencing early child relational health.
- Future research should employ methods like SNA to analyze interconnections across all levels of the child-caregiver relational ecology.
Keywords:
Bioecological model of human developmentEarly child developmentRelational ecologyScoping reviewSocial network analysisMore Related Videos
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