The Effects of Parental Attitudes and Mothers’ Psychological Well-Being on the Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Their Preschool Children

The aim of the present study was to examine the association between emotional and behavioral problems in preschool children and maternal attitudes. The predictor variables were parental attitudes, maternal depression and anxiety symptoms. Our sample consisted of the mothers of 204 preschool children attending different preschools in Ankara, Turkey. Mothers were asked to complete the parental attitude research instrument, the beck depression inventory, the trait anxiety inventory, and the child-behavior checklist. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that when considered jointly, maternal anxiety but not maternal depression explained variability in preschool children internalizing and externalizing their problems. Mothers rejecting attitudes towards family life and child-raising styles were also found to be closely associated with the emotional and behavioral problems in their children. The findings demonstrate that the importance of maternal anxiety is above and beyond the importance of rejecting the maternal role when it comes to preschool problems in children.