The Mediator Role of Empathy and Social Skill of Children in the Relationship between Parental Attitudes and Aggression of Preschool Children

Past researches have indicated that the importance of parental attitudes on children's behavioral problem. Although the studies provided explanations about the relationship between parental attitudes and aggression in preschool children, it is seen that the role of the variables that interfere with this relationship has not been adequately examined. The purpose of this research is to understand the effect of parental attitudes on aggression of preschool children, and to focus on the mediating function of children's empathy and social skills. The relation between parental attitudes with aggressive behaviors was examined both directly and through empathy and social skill. The sample of the study is composed of 210 children who are educated in independent preschool and nursery classes in elementary schools affiliated to the Ministry of Education in the district of Izmir. The data were collected by four different measurement tools: "Parenting Questionnaire", "Emotion Regulation Checklist", "Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale" and "Ladd and Profilet Child Behavior Scale". SPSS (21) was used for descriptive statistics and preliminary analysis. The analysis of data was examined with structural equation models by LISREL 8.80 program. The results showed that preschool children's empathy and social skills mediated the relationship between parental attitudes and aggression. In the line with the findings, the theoretical and practical results were discussed.