The family is considered the first social environment of children, and caregivers are responsible for structuring the setting where children develop. Through daily interactions, caregivers send and modelled the socio-emotional skills that they consider relevant to the development of their children. The families that are subjected to favourable social conditions (e.g., a stable economic situation, access to high-quality education or a supportive network) have higher probabilities of developing positive social and emotional abilities in their children. In turns, families that are affected by multiple stressors (e.g., poverty, mental health problems, or unpredictable environments) face greater challenges in this task.
The COVID-19th crisis has imposed a new parenting scenario (e.g., children not attending classes and staying all day in their homes) that entails new demands for each family member. This context of uncertainty and constant change has placed families in an extreme situation, where they have had to deploy all their resources to confront the challenges of nurture. Therefore, in this panel, we invite to reflect on the transformations that families must confront to board the socio-emotional necessities of their children.