Emotional Attachment Patterns and Parenting Styles as Predictors of Emotion Regulation among Arab Kindergarten Children

Abstract

The current study examines the contribution of emotional attachment patterns and parenting styles as predictors of emotion regulation among Arab kindergarten children. Emotion regulation is defined as the strategic ability to regulate the internal situation and the emotional expression within a broader framework of self-control (Cole, ZahnWaxler, & Smith, 1994). The prevailing definition of self-control is the ability to comply, to initiate and terminate a task in accordance with the situation, to regulate the strength, the frequency and duration of verbal and motor activities, to delay gratification and to behave in a manner acceptable to society in the absence of external factors (Kopp 1982). The importance of this study stems from a lack of studies on this topic in the Arab sector. In addition, the research will contribute to the expansion of knowledge on the subject, and also to the development of workshops for kindergarten teachers and mothers that will deal with the subject of emotion regulation and its importance to children’s development and their adjustment. The current study endeavors to find an answer to the following questions: Does a relationship exist between parenting styles and emotion regulation ability among kindergarten children? Does a relationship exist between emotional attachment styles and emotion regulation ability among kindergarten children? Keywords: emotional attachment patterns; parenting styles; emotion regulation; kindergarten children