A leading clinical expert in trauma and family wellness is challenging one of the most deeply held beliefs in Caribbean parenting culture — that some children are simply born difficult or bad-natured.
According to Antigua Observer, Dr. Judith Josiah-Martin, a PhD-level clinical social worker and the 2021 President's Outstanding Teacher of the Year at the University of the West Indies, is pushing back firmly against that long-standing assumption, arguing that no child enters the world inherently troubled.
Dr. Josiah-Martin, whose work centres on trauma and family wellness, contends that behavioural challenges in children are rooted in environment, experience, and emotional development — not innate character flaws. Her position runs counter to attitudes that remain widespread across the region, where labelling a child as "born bad" or inherently difficult is not uncommon.
As reported by Antigua Observer, the clinical expert is advocating for a more informed and compassionate approach to understanding child behaviour, one that takes into account the role of trauma, family dynamics, and social conditions in shaping how children act and respond to the world around them.
Dr. Josiah-Martin's professional standing lends considerable weight to her message. As a university-level educator recognised for outstanding teaching, she occupies a platform that reaches both future practitioners and the broader public conversation on child welfare and parenting in the Caribbean.
