Investigation of The Relationship Between Separation Anxiety And Self-Regulation And Executive Function Skills in Preschool Students

Sümeyye Belhan Çelik; Elif Bahar Bacanak; Gonca Bumin

doi:10.17679/inuefd.1525227

Investigation of The Relationship Between Separation Anxiety And Self-Regulation And Executive Function Skills in Preschool Students

Authors : Sümeyye Belhan Çelik, Elif Bahar Bacanak, Gonca Bumin

Pages : 135-153

Doi:10.17679/inuefd.1525227

View : 85 | Download : 192

Publication Date : 2025-04-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Separation anxiety, which occurs because preschool students are separated by entering a different environment, can result in not wanting to go to school, and it is important to have self-regulation and executive function skills in order to cope with this anxiety and ensure adaptation to school. This study aims to observe the relationship between preschool students’ separation anxiety and their self-regulation and executive function skills. 79 preschool students were included in the study. Separation Anxiety Scale for Nest Children (SASNC), Self-Regulation Skills Scale for Children Aged 4-6 Years (SRSS) and Childhood Executive Functions Inventory (CHEXI) were used for collecting data. Between SASNC results SRSS’s total (r=-0,286, p=0,011), inhibitory control (r=-0,315, p=0,005), attention (r=-0,249, p=0,027) score a significant negative correlation was found. There was a positive correlation between SASNC and CHEXI total (r=0,277, p=0,013) score. In our study, it was found that students with better self-regulation and executive function skills experienced less separation anxiety. Showing high performance in situations that require self-regulation and executive skills can have a positive effect on children being less depressed and experiencing less anxiety in the face of incidents than their peers. As found in previous studies, executive function skills in the preschool period were found to reflect school readiness. In addition, self-regulation skills are very important for children in regulating their behavior and coping with their anxiety. Because a child who struggles with behavioral control could not feel like a part of her friends\\\' and the school\\\'s community and could not want to go to school. Therefore, before starting preschool education, it is important to develop self-regulation and executive function skills to both reduce anxiety and adapt to school.
Keywords : anksiyete, ayrılık, okul öncesi, öz-denetim, yürütücü fonksiyon

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