Emotion socializaton by mothers and fathers: Associations with children's adjustment

Parental emotion socialization (ES) behaviors refer to how parents respond, guide, or teach their children's emotional experiences. Research has shown that supportive parental responses help children regulate negative emotions and foster psychological well-being. In contrast, non-supportive responses are associated with internalizing and externalizing problems throughout children's developmental trajectories. This thesis examines the relationships between parental emotion socialization practices and child adjustment, with a focus on how these relationships may vary depending on the gender of both the parent and the child. Using nationally representative survey data collected from Turkish parents of children aged 4 to 17, this thesis was conducted within the scope of the TÜBİTAK-funded project (1003-118K032). Results from a series of multivariate analyses revealed partially gender-based patterns of emotion socialization (ES) across parent and child gender. Parental ES significantly predicted children's social-emotional adjustment depending on the moderator role of gender. These findings underscore the importance of considering cultural values, gender norms, and family dynamics when examining the relationship between parental emotion socialization (ES) and child adjustment.