An investigation of the mediator effect of mothers' parenting attitude on the impact of mothers' Covid-19 fear on anger/aggression, social competence and anxiety behaviors in preschool children

This study aims to examine the mediating effect of mothers' parenting attitudes on the relationship between mothers' fear of Covid-19 and preschool children's anger/aggression, social competence, and anxiety/introversion behaviors. Additionally, whether the main variables differ according to the sociodemographic data has been investigated. The research sample consisted of 140 mothers who have pre-school children who attended a private or public kindergarten and have not had Covid-19 previously. The data obtained from participants were collected online using the Covid-19 Fear Scale, Social Competency and Behavior Rating Scale, Parental Attitude Scale and Sociodemographic Information Form. The data suggested that authoritarian parenting attitude and overprotective parenting attitude fully mediated the relationship between mothers' fear of Covid-19 and children's anxiety/introversion behaviors. On the other hand, the sociodemographic data suggested that the fear around Covid-19 was influenced considerably by the mothers' Covid-19 vaccine status. The educational status of mothers significantly differed in authoritarian parenting attitudes. The father's educational status significantly differed in permissive parenting attitudes of mothers'. The mother's education level, the type of work she does and the amount of time she has significantly differed in the mothers' overprotective parenting attitudes. The social competence skills of the children differed significantly depending on the socioeconomic status variables. As a result, it was determined that authoritarian and overprotective parenting attitudes had a full mediation effect on the relationship between fear of Covid-19 and anxiety/introversion behaviors of children. The study revealed that the relationship between mothers' fear of Covid-19 and children's anxiety/introversion behaviors is mediated by authoritarian and overprotective parenting attitudes. Despite the limitation of the research on the mediating effect of parenting attitudes on children's behaviors during pandemic is scarce this research contributes to the literature by highlighting the importance of the parenting attitudes and contribute to the treatment.