A comparison of separation anxiety in preschool and first-grade students after their mothers' emotion regulation training

This study aimed to compare the levels of separation anxiety in preschool and first-grade students after their mothers received "Emotion Regulation Training." The study was conducted with 100 volunteer parents and their children attending a government school in Şişli, Istanbul, following a seminar on "Separation Anxiety in Children" held in the school's conference hall on February 20, 2023. Data collection instruments were used to measure the effectiveness of the 10-hour psychoeducation provided to the participating mothers, both before and after the training. The collected data compared the separation anxiety scores reported by the mothers and the children, considering various socio-demographic characteristics. The relationship between the separation anxiety scores reported by mothers, the scores reported by children, and the mothers' attachment styles was examined. Additionally, the differences in separation anxiety scores reported by children after the emotion regulation training provided to their mothers were analyzed. In the comparisons of groups, parametric measurement methods were applied while considering the homogeneity of distribution (with a condition of n≥15 within a group). Independent samples t-test was used for comparisons between two independent groups, and One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied for comparisons involving more than two groups. A paired sample t-test was conducted to examine whether there were differences in separation anxiety scores reported by students after the emotion regulation training. Pearson correlation was applied to examine the relationship between the separation anxiety scores reported by mothers, the scores reported by children, and the mothers' attachment styles. The research results revealed statistically significant findings between the levels of children's separation anxiety and their mothers' attachment styles and anxiety levels. A negative significant relationship was found between parents' secure attachment style and children's separation anxiety, while a positive significant relationship was found between parents' anxiety levels and children's separation anxiety levels. Furthermore, a significant decrease in children's separation anxiety was observed after their mothers received emotion regulation training.