The impact of parenting practices on the emotional and social competence of primary school students

pdf6 (ελληνικά)
Published: Mar 13, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/dial.43000
Keywords:
parenting practices, psychosocial competence, cooperation, emotion regulation
Areti Giamalaki
University of Western Macedonia
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9679-9832
Ilias Vasileiadis
University of Western Macedonia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7625-1709
Ioanna Dimitriadou
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Abstract

Children’s psychosocial development is shaped by family interactions and parental behaviors that foster social skills, emotional regulation, and adaptation. This study examined the relationship between perceived parental practices and the psychosocial competence of 101 pupils (aged 10–12) from two primary schools in Greece. Psychosocial competence, assessed with the Psychosocial Adjustment Questionnaire, included cooperation, leadership, empathy, communication, self-control, and emotion regulation. Parental practices (emotional warmth, rejection, overprotection, anxious rearing) were measured with the EMBU-C (Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran – Children’s Version). Non-parametric analyses showed that emotional warmth from both parents was positively associated with children’s social and emotional competence, while maternal rejection was negatively linked to both domains and paternal rejection only to emotional competence. Mothers scored higher on overprotection and anxious rearing, though these practices showed weaker associations. No gender differences were observed in children’s competence. Findings highlight the central role of supportive parenting, particularly emotional warmth, and the detrimental effects of rejection, underscoring the need for interventions that promote positive parent–child interactions and consider both maternal and paternal influences in middle childhood.

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