Social-Emotional Development and Interpersonal Trust in Children

Social-emotional development and interpersonal trust are intertwined domains that shape children’s capacity to form secure relationships, navigate social contexts and manage their emotions. Social-emotional development encompasses the acquisition of skills that enable children to recognise and regulate their feelings, empathise with others and establish meaningful connections. Interpersonal trust denotes a child’s willingness to rely upon and cooperate with others based on expectations of competence, reliability and benevolence. From infancy, caregiving interactions establish a foundation for trust and emotional security: sensitive and responsive caregiving fosters attachment security, which in turn supports exploration and social learning. As children enter middle childhood and adolescence, peer interactions and wider social experiences refine trust judgments and reinforce emotion regulation strategies. The dynamic interplay between social-emotional competence and trust underpins prosocial behaviour, peer acceptance and resilience to stressors. Conversely, disruptions in trust development—arising from adversity, attachment insecurity or social exclusion—can undermine emotional stability and heighten vulnerability to internalising difficulties. Global research highlights both cultural variations in trust formation and its universal significance for educational achievement and wellbeing. In practice, fostering secure relationships and equipping children with emotion regulation strategies can strengthen interpersonal trust and promote adaptive social functioning.

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Social-Emotional Development and Interpersonal Trust in Children publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in social-emotional development and interpersonal trust in children across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Social-emotional development: The process by which children acquire the ability to understand and regulate emotions, develop empathy and form positive relationships.

Interpersonal trust: The expectation that others are reliable, honest and have benevolent intentions in social interactions.

Emotion regulation: The capacity to modulate emotional responses in accordance with situational demands and personal goals.

Prosocial behaviour: Voluntary actions intended to benefit others, such as sharing, helping and cooperating.

References

1. Trust in adolescence: Development, mechanisms and future directions. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (2024).
2. Trust Beliefs in Significant Others, Interpersonal Stress, and Internalizing Psychopathology of Adolescents with Psychiatric Disorders. Child Psychiatry & Human Development (2021).
3. Interpersonal Trust: Its Relevance for Developing Positive Emotions and Social Skills During Childhood. Interpersona An International Journal on Personal Relationships (2024).