Early childhood social and emotional development

The potential role of environmental factors: a scoping review

About this release

The purpose of this paper is to examine the available evidence about the possible effect of the home and neighbourhood environment on children’s social, emotional and behavioural development before the age of 8 years.

Method

This report brings together international review-level evidence and information from longitudinal studies carried out in the United Kingdom (UK). A systematic approach was used to identify papers for this report.

Main points

• Evidence about the role played by elements of the home and neighbourhood environment in modifying the relationship between young children’s social circumstances and their social, emotional and behavioural development is currently limited and inconsistent.
• Overall, environmental factors appear to play a modest role in shaping early childhood social, emotional and behavioural development.
• Poor indoor home conditions, such as overcrowding, damp and exposure to second-hand smoke, may increase the risk of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties during early childhood.
• Neighbourhood disadvantage experienced in early childhood is associated with an increased risk of emotional and behavioural difficulties. However, the strength and consistency of this relationship varies depending on how disadvantage is measured.
• Availability of or access to green space may support children’s wellbeing, especially among younger children and those from disadvantaged or minority backgrounds. However, UK evidence does not consistently show a direct link between green space quantity and children's social, emotional and behavioural development.
• More research is needed to better understand how elements such as housing conditions, neighbourhood disadvantage, access to and availability of good quality green space, and air quality interact with socioeconomic circumstances to influence children's early childhood social, emotional and behavioural development.