Influence of Parenting Style on Stressful States in Preschool Children Who Have Experienced a Traumatic Event

Abstract

Children are one of the most vulnerable groups of the population that is particularly affected by traumatic events. In many of them, traumatic events significantly disrupt their life, bring severe losses, damage their health, and increase the likelihood of them developing stressful states. The goal of the present study is to analyze the effect of parenting style on stressful states in preschool children who have experienced a traumatic event. The article determines the specific characteristics of having experienced a traumatic event and the indicators of a stressful state in preschool children based on a theoretical analysis of scientific literature. The article presents the results of an empirical study determining the relationship between parenting styles and the manifestations of stressful states in preschool children who have experienced a traumatic event. In the conducted study, a preschool child’s anxiety and the style of parenting are revealed to be factors in the emergence of stressful states in preschoolers. In the future perspective, these findings substantiate the development of a psychological support program for preventing and fighting stressful states in children of preschool age.

Received: 24 May 2022 / Accepted: 20 August 2022 / Published: 2 September 2022