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Review
. 2025 Apr 4;12(4):465.
doi: 10.3390/children12040465.

Empathy and Parental Sensitivity in Child Attachment and Socioemotional Development: A Systematic Review from Emotional, Genetic, and Neurobiological Perspectives

Miriam Santana-Ferrándiz  1 , Jesús Ibáñez-Pérez  2 , Carmen Moret-Tatay  2
Affiliations
Review

Empathy and Parental Sensitivity in Child Attachment and Socioemotional Development: A Systematic Review from Emotional, Genetic, and Neurobiological Perspectives

Miriam Santana-Ferrándiz et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

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.

Objectives: 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.

Method: 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.

Results: 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.

Conclusions: 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.

Keywords: child attachment; emotional regulation; genetic predispositions; neurobiological mechanisms; parental empathy; parental sensitivity; socioemotional development; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram of the study selection process for the current systematic review. Notes: * Records identified from Rayyan following EBSCOhost databases; ** excluded in terms of exclusion criteria applied to title and abstract.
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