Preschool children's social skills, problem behaviors, academic self-esteem and teacher-child relationship: a serial mediation model

As a result of the study: (1) there was a significant and negative relationship between problem behaviors and social skills, academic self-esteem and teacher-child relationship; (2) the mediating role of academic self-esteem and teacher-child relationship in the relationship between social skills and problem behaviors was supported; and (3) the serial mediating role of academic self-esteem and teacher-child relationship in the effect of social skills on problem behaviors, respectively, was found. These findings indicated that children's social skills may help to increase their academic self-esteem, improve the teacher-child relationship, and thus reduce their problem behaviors. Therefore, these results have important implications for designing interventions to increase preschool children's social skills, academic self-esteem, and teacher-child relationship, as well as to prevent the early development of problem behaviors.