Examining the relationship between the playing skills of 5-6-year-old children and their mothers' emotional abuse potential

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between emotional behavioural approaches of mothers with children aged 5-6 years and their children's play-making skills. In this context, it was investigated whether mothers' emotional abuse potentials and children's play-making skills differed according to variables such as child's gender, age, mother's age and education level, child's school attendance period and mother's occupation. The study was conducted with the relational screening model, which is one of the quantitative methods. The sample of the study consisted of 310 children aged 5-6 years and their mothers studying in preschool institutions affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in Mardin provincial centre and districts in the 2024-2025 academic year. The data were collected through 'Personal Information Form', 'Emotional Abuse Potential Scale for Parents of 3-6 Year Old Children' and 'Play Establishment Skills Assessment Scale'. The data obtained were analysed by t-test, ANOVA, Correlation and Multiple Regression analyses. According to the results of the study, no significant difference was found between children's play-making skills and mother's age. However, significant differences were observed in terms of the mother's level of education, the duration of the child's school attendance and the mother's employment status. In terms of emotional abuse potential of mothers, no significant difference was found with the age of the mother, occupation and gender of the child; however, significant differences were found with the level of education of the mother and the number of children. Significant relationships were found between the 'causal' and 'preventive' sub-dimensions of the emotional abuse potential scale and children's play-making skills. A negative relationship was found between the causal sub-dimension and children's play-making skills, which indicated that children's play-making skills decreased in case of an increase in mothers' behaviours that may cause emotional abuse. On the other hand, a positive relationship was found between the preventive sub-dimension and play-making skills. The increase in mothers' behaviours to protect their children from emotional abuse contributes to the increase in children's play-making skills.