Preschool education as a bridge between parenting self-efficacy and risky play: A mediation analysis

Abstract

This study examines the mediating role of children's preschool education duration in the relationship between parenting self-efficacy and allowing risky play. The cross-sectional quantitative research design was employed. The participants were 479 Turkish mothers. The data were collected using the Berkeley Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale Revised (to assess parents' perceived effectiveness), the Scale for Allowing Risky Play (to measure attitudes toward risky play), and a demographic information form (to gather participant characteristics). To investigate the mediation effect, bootstrapping technique was applied to the data. The findings revealed that children’s preschool education durations played a mediating role in the relationship between mothers' parenting self-efficacy beliefs and allowing risky play. The results highlight the importance of preschool education duration in shaping the link between parenting self-efficacy and mothers’ attitudes toward risky play. These findings may inform the development of intervention programs aimed at strengthening parental efficacy and promoting balanced approaches to children’s risky play opportunities.

Keywords

• Preschool education
• Parenting self-efficacy
• Parenting attitudes
• Risky play

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