The Relationship Between Parents’ Emotion Regulation Skills, Parent–Child Relationship, and Social Problem-Solving Skills of Children Aged 4–6: A Structural Equation Modeling

Children are expected to recognize their daily life challenges and learn to navigate social issues. The early acquisition of social problem-solving skills enables children to grow into adults who can devise practical solutions to problems and foster positive relationships with their surroundings. In this context, the study aimed to analyze the relationship between two factors—emotion regulation skills and parent–child relationships—among parents of children aged four to six years attending preschool education and their children’s social problem-solving abilities, using structural equation modeling. The research sample comprised 278 children (140 girls and 138 boys) enrolled in kindergartens and preschools within primary, secondary, and high schools in Balıkesir province and Sındırgı district during the 2022–2023 academic year, along with their mothers. The data collection tools included the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Child–Parent Relationship Scale, the Wally Social Problem Solving Test, and a Demographic Information Form. The findings indicate that parents’ emotion regulation skills and the parent–child relationship quality significantly predict children’s social problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, a strong positive correlation was identified between the positive relationship dimension—one of the sub-dimensions of the parent–child relationship—and the children’s social problem-solving skill scores. The most critical recommendation of the study is that preschool education programs should be designed to enhance children’s social problem-solving skills and that training in emotion regulation for parents should be expanded.Cite this article as: Çakır, R., Biber, K., & Börekci, C. (2025). The relationship between parents’ emotion regulation skills, parent–child relationship, and social problem-solving skills of children aged 4-6: A structural equation modeling. HAYEF: Journal of Education, 22, 0032, doi: 10.5152/hayef.2025.24032