Children ’ s differential susceptibility to effects of parenting

The investigation and identification of factors shaping children’s development have long been central to the field of developmental psychology; and parenting has long been considered one of the most important sources of influence. A vast body of empirical evidence highlights the contribution of parenting to a wide range of cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral developmental outcomes. Long appreciated, too, is that parenting effects are often moderated by characteristics of the child, most notably, perhaps, early temperament. Indeed, most such work has been guided by conceptions of vulnerability stemming from negative or difficult temperament that interacts with insensitive, harsh or otherwise unsupportive parenting to undermine child well-being. Belsky’s differential-susceptibility framework challenges such diathesis-stress thinking, highlighting the fact that the very individuals who seem most susceptible to environmental adversity, including negatively emotional infants, may also benefit the most from developmentally supportive rearing. Evidence consistent with this view – that some children are more affected than others, for better and for worse, depending on the rearing environment – is reviewed, including new research on gene-X-environment interaction. Finally, unknowns of the differential-susceptibility hypothesis are considered.