An examination on emotion regulation and attachment patterns of children aged between 4-6 years old

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the emotion regulation and attachment patterns of children aged between 4 to six years old. Method: The sample of the present study consisted of randomly chosen 38 girls and 22 boys, 60 children in total, between the ages of 4-6 years from private and public schools, in Istanbul. All data were collected by applying Sociodemographic Characteristics and Information Form, Preschool Self Regulation Assessment-PSRA in Turkish context and Safe Place Scenarios Test. Data were analyzed using the Pearson Correlation, Independent T-Test and Chi-Square Test. Result: Results indicated that there was a significant positive correlation between Secure Attachment Level and Emotion Regulation Skill (p<.01). In addition, according to the findings obtained from the classification of secure and insecure attachment, it was found that children (N=30) with secure attachment patterns had more advanced emotion regulation skills than the children (N=30) who had insecure attachment patterns (t (45.61) =6.33, p<.001). Again, the attention/impulse control of children with a secure attachment patterns were found to be higher than the children with insecure attachment patterns (t (58) = 6.33, p<.001). Conclusion: The results support the knowledge that the attachment style between the child and the caregiver in the literature is an important factor in emotion regulation.