The Relationship between mothers’ parenting styles and emotion understanding of children through the mediator role of children’s perceived parenting styles of their mothers

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Thesis Type: Postgraduate

Institution Of The Thesis: Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology, Turkey

Approval Date: 2015

Thesis Language: English

Student: Arzu Çalışkan

Supervisor: BAŞAK ŞAHİN ACAR

Abstract:

The aim of the current study is to examine the effects of parenting styles of mothers and children’s perceived maternal parenting styles on children’s emotion understanding skills. This relationship is explored via the mediator role of perceived parenting styles of children. We recruited 130 primary school second grade children and their mothers in this study. Data was collected from children in different elementary schools in Ankara, from upper middle SES schools. Kusche Emotion Inventory, EMBU child and parent forms, and a demographic form were used as measurements. We expected to find that children whose mothers are high in emotional warmth and overprotection would get higher receptive emotion scores; while children, whose mothers score high in rejection, would get lower receptive emotion scores. In addition, children’s perceived emotional warmth and overprotection about their mothers would mediate the relationship between mother’s own emotional warmth and receptive emotion scores of children positively; while children’s perceived rejection about their mother would mediate the relationship between mother’s own rejection and receptive emotion scores of children negatively. All of our hypotheses are supported except perceived and maternal overprotection dimension. Finally, limitations of the current study and suggestion for future studies are discussed.