Relationship between preschool children's aggression tendency and their parents' parenting attitudes

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between preschool children's aggression tendency and their parents' parenting attitudes. Also, the effects of some variables such as age, gender, educational status, monthly income, marital status of parents on preschool children's aggression tendency and parents' parenting attitudes were examined. The sample of the study consisted of 506 parents and 506 children. As the data collection tool, "Personal Information Form" prepared by the researcher, the "Parents Attitude Scale" developed by Karabulut, Demir and Şendil (2008), and "Aggression Tendency Scale for 36-72 Months-Old Children" developed by Kaynak, Kan and Kurtulmuş (2016) were used. Data was analyzed through independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson correlation analysis. Findings of the study showed that parents' parenting attitudes did not differ according to their ages but there was a statistically significant difference in some sub-scales of Parents Attitude Scale (PAS) according to parents' marital status, gender, educational status, the house type they lived, monthly income, number of their children, the age that they had their first child, gender, age, birth order and period of attending a preschool institution of the child considered while responding the scale. Also, no statistically significant differences were found in children's aggression tendency according to their parents' age, number of children, and gender, age, birth order and period of attending a preschool institution of the child considered while responding the scale. However, there was a statistically significant in some sub-dimensions of Aggression Tendency Scale for 36-72 Months-Old Children according to parents' educational status, marital status, the house type they lived, monthly income and the age that they had their first child. Also, there was a moderate negative relationship between democratic sub-scale of PAS and physical aggression towards others sub-dimension of Aggression Tendency Scale for 36-72 Months-Old Children. There was a weak negative relationship between democratic sub-scale of PAS and other sub-dimensions of Aggression Tendency Scale. There was a moderate positive relationship between authoritarian sub-scale of PAS, and physical aggression towards others and aggression against objects/items sub-dimensions of Aggression Tendency Scale. There was a weak positive relationship between authoritarian sub-scale of PAS, and relational aggression towards others and self-directed aggression sub-dimensions of Aggression Tendency Scale. Lastly, there was a weak positive relationship between permissive sub-scale of PAS, and all sub-dimensions of Aggression Tendency Scale.