by Jacqueline Theodoro Delli

The nature-nurture debate is a key element in developmental psychology, and, through the years, theorists presented their cases in favor of one aspect over the other. Nowadays, modern theorists in general agree that both human genetics (nature) and the environment (nurture) can have strong influences on the course of development (Berk, 2021). Regarding emotional maturity development – which the Human Early Partnership (2019) describes as aggressive, prosocial, hyperactive and inattentive, and anxious and fearful behaviours –, the influence of nature can be observed on children’s temperaments, biological predispositions and personality traits, which are all – at least partially – innate (Berk, 2021). The environment (nurture), on the other hand, can exert its influence through parenting styles, parent-child interactions, family dynamics, home, school, and community environments, and the social, cultural, and economic aspects that influence and shape each child’s context; a key influence in development, however, is the interaction between the environment and each child’s heredity, which may cause epigenetic changes (Berk, 2021).

When individuals are exposed to certain experiences – such as adverse childhood experiences, prolonged stress, harmful and toxic biological agents, etc. –, a biochemical process that targets certain genes – such as genes that are important in modulating stress, or managing anxiety and fear responses – can be triggered, possibly changing how those genes are expressed and affecting how individuals feel and behave; those changes are called epigenetic changes (Berk, 2021). For example, children whose mothers smoked during gestation are more likely to show impulsive, aggressive, and disruptive behaviours (Berk, 2021), and children whose mothers had anxiety during pregnancy are more likely to be inattentive, hyperactive, and show anxiety symptoms as well (Bolea-Alamañac et al., 2019), all of which would fall under the emotional maturity domain.

Along with influences during the prenatal period, children who experience neglect, abuse, poverty, and/or other adverse childhood experiences that make their environments stressful and traumatic are more vulnerable when it comes to emotional maturity development (Conradt, 2017). Children who are emotionally vulnerable are more likely to show hyperactive and inattentive behaviours – such as being easily distracted, being impulsive and fidgety –, anxious and fearful behaviours – such as looking worried, stressed, and/or shy, especially when separated from caregivers –, aggressive behaviours – such as disobeying, throwing tantrums, hitting others, fighting – and also have difficulty with prosocial behaviours – like comforting or helping other children, and including others during play (HELP, 2019). To counteract factors that can make them emotionally vulnerable and impact development, it’s important to foster and encourage resilience in children. Having a warm and nurturing relationship with parents or with another adult – such a relative or teacher – that can support the child, allowing them opportunities to positively interact with others through recreational and/or meaningful activities, and providing them access to services like good healthcare and education, can help bring balance to their lives and reduce the impact of negative influences (Berk, 2021).

When it comes to emotional maturity, there has been a recent short-term increase in vulnerability for children on the Lonsdale neighborhood in the North Vancouver School District, caused by the increase in vulnerability on the Aggressive Subscale (HELP, 2021); while vulnerability level on Lonsdale is in the low to mid-range when compared to the rest of British Columbia (HELP, 2020), it is faring poorly when compared to other neighborhood within its district (HELP, 2021). Within the North Vancouver School District, Lonsdale has the second highest prevalence of lone-parent families, second highest prevalence of low-income children under 6, and the lowest median family income (Statistics Canada 2016 Census (NH), as cited in HELP, n.d.), all of which are relevant socioeconomic factors – family composition, income, poverty – that can influence development (HELP, 2019). So, the fact that Lonsdale has a higher-than-average percentage of low-income families and children, and lone-parent families within the district may help explain why Lonsdale children are showing more vulnerability than children in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Targeting the increase in vulnerability for aggressive behaviours, there is a good possibility for intervention that doesn’t need to take children too far out of their comfort zone: child-centered play therapy (CCPT). CCPT is particularly effective in addressing externalizing, aggressive and disruptive behaviours; with support from a therapist in a safe environment, the child can explore and learn to understand their emotions and behaviours through play, which allows them to develop better emotional regulation, and, in turn, learn to control their aggression, rule-breaking, and externalizing behaviours (Ritzi et al., 2017). By employing play – something that is a significant part of children’s daily lives – as a strategy to address those behaviours, it is possible to guide them onto a better direction for emotional maturity development.

References

Berk, L. (2021). Infants and Children: Prenatal Through Middle Childhood (9th ed.). Pearson.

Bolea-Alamañac, B., Davies, S. J. C., Evans, J., Joinson, C., Pearson, R., Skapinakis, P., & Emond, A. (2019). Does maternal somatic anxiety in pregnancy predispose children to hyperactivity? European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 28(11), 1475–1486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-019-01289-6

Conradt, E. (2017). Using Principles of Behavioral Epigenetics to Advance Research on Early-Life Stress. Child Development Perspectives, 11(2), 107–112. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12219

Human Early Learning Partnership. (2019, November). Early Development Instrument British Columbia, 2016-2019 Wave 7 Provincial Report. http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/media/edibc_ wave7_2019_provincialreport.pdf

Human Early Learning Partnership. (2020, February). EDI Wave 7 Community Profile: North Vancouver School District (SD44). http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/media/edi_w7_communityprofiles/edi_w7_communityprofile_sd_44.pdf

Human Early Learning Partnership. (2021, January). EDI Wave 7 Subscales Community Profile: North Vancouver School District (SD44). http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/media/edi_w7_communityprofiles/edi_w7_subscale_communityprofile_sd_44.pdf

Human Early Learning Partnership. (n.d.) HELP Data Library. http://earlylearning.ubc.ca/maps/data/

Ritzi, R. M., Ray, D. C., & Schumann, B. R. (2017). Intensive short-term child-centered play therapy and externalizing behaviors in children. International Journal of Play Therapy, 26(1), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000035