ABSTRACT

The present study was conducted to analyze the relationship between attachment patterns, social-emotional development, and perspective-taking skills of preschoolers. The sample group of the study consisted of 201 children attending preschool education and their parents. The study utilized the causal comparison model, one of the survey models. T-test and ANOVA, which are parametric tests, were employed for normally distributed data, while non-normally distributed data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U Test and Kruskal-Wallis Test. A cross-tabular analysis was conducted to identify children's attachment patterns based on the variables. Spearman Correlation analysis was applied to analyze the relationship between preschool children's social-emotional development, perspective-taking skills, and attachment patterns. The effect sizes of the analyses with significant differences were also determined. The study revealed that there was no relationship between children's perspective-taking skills and their social-emotional development, and that children's social-emotional development and perspective-taking skills did not differ based on the attachment patterns. Children's attachment patterns were found to be related to both mothers' and fathers' education levels. It was observed that a significant portion of the children in the study had an insecure attachment pattern. Secure attachment can be supported by creating support education programs for families starting from the prenatal period.

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