The contributions of children’s social competence, aggression, and anxiety to their play behaviours with peers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contributions of children's social competence, aggression, and anxiety to their play behaviours with peers. A total of 149 preschoolers aged 36-73 months (M = 54.6 months, SD = 0.99; 50.3% girls) and their 46 teachers in Turkey recruited for the current study. Teachers reported on children's social competence, aggression, and anxiety. Children's peer relations during play were observed. Results from the regression models showed that children's social competence positively and anxiety negatively were associated with children's peer interactions during play. Children's gender was negatively associated with their play behaviours, indicating girls had higher levels of positive interactions with peers than boys did. Limitations and future directions of the current study are discussed.