The role of motherhood practices in the attachment styles and social emotional skills of pre-school children

In this study, it was aimed to examine the predictive status of motherhood practices of children's peer relations, social skills and emotion regulation skills in the mediating role of attachment styles. For this purpose, the structural equation model was used. The sample of the study consists of 60-72 months old children (N=311) and their mothers who continue their pre-school education in independent kindergartens in the 2021-2022 academic year in the central districts of Tepebaşı and Odunpazarı in Eskişehir. At the stage of collecting the data of the study, the questionnaires "Personal Information Form for Mothers and Children", "Parenting Styles Questionnaire", "Emotion Regulation Questionnaire", "Self-Compassion Scale" and "Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory (ECRI)" were filled by the mothers of the children; "Cassidy Incomplete Stories with Doll Family" application was made with the children by the researcher; The "Ladd and Profilet Child Behavior Scale", " Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale-30 (SCBE-30)", " The Emotion Regulation Checklist " questionnaires were filled in by the children's teachers. According to the findings; parent (mother) mothers' child-rearing attitudes, mothers' emotion regulation levels, mothers' self-compassion levels and mothers' attachment styles to their mothers, children's attachment styles (secure, avoidant and negative), children's behaviors towards their peers, children's emotional behavior problem symptoms/social skills and affect emotional reactivity/emotion regulation skills. When parent (mother) mothers' child-rearing attitudes have positive child-rearing attitudes, mothers have high levels of emotion regulation and self-compassion, and mothers have a secure attachment style, children are securely attached, which positively affects children's peer relationships, children's emotional behavior problem symptoms, social skills, emotional reactivity and emotion regulation skills. When parent (mother) mothers' child-rearing attitudes have negative child-rearing attitudes, mothers have low levels of emotion regulation, mothers have low levels of self-compassion, and mothers have an insecure attachment style to their mothers, children become avoidant or negatively attached, which results in children's behavior towards peers, children's social skills, and emotion regulation skills.