Mediational role of peer relationship preschool children's attachment and social competence, anxiety, aggression, self-control

In the preschool period, the child transition from family life to school life and expands its social environment that is limited to family members and their close circle with peers. The positive peer relationships established in this period contribute to the child's social emotional development and socialization process. The main purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effect of peer relationships by revealing the direct and indirect relationships between the type of attachment and low self-control, social competence, anxiety, anger-aggression and peer relationships of 5-year-old children (60-71 months). The research was planned in the predictive correlational research pattern and the data were collected in the Spring semester of the 2018-2019 academic year. In the study, Teacher Checklist of Peer Relationship, Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale-30, Self-Control Rating Scale, Doll Family Story Completion Test were used as data collection tools. The 309 children were determined by the stratified sampling method from the central districts of Ankara for the sample of the study. In the research, path analysis was used to explain the direct and indirect relationship between the variables and a Sobel test was also used to determine the mediation of peer relationships. As a result of the research, when the direct relationships between attachment, peer relationships, low self-control, social competence, anxiety, and anger variables were examined, all variables were found to be low, medium or high related. When model mediating effect was examined, full mediation of peer relationships between attachment, social competence, anxiety and low self-control was seen and peer relationship had partial mediation with anger. The results were evaluated in terms of the importance of peer relationships in the social emotional development of the children and suggestions were presented to the researchers and practitioners.