An Examination of Anxiety Levels in Preschool Children of Divorced Parents

Background Today, increasing divorce rates lead to fundamental changes in the family structure and can negatively affect the psychosocial development of children. This study aimed to examine the anxiety levels of preschool children whose parents are divorced and to compare these levels with those of children whose parents are divorced together. Additionally, it seeks to determine whether there are significant differences in anxiety levels according to children's demographic characteristics. Methods This study was conducted via a descriptive comparative survey model. The study group consisted of 111 children attending preschool educational institutions in Ankara. This group included 47 children whose parents were divorced and 64 children whose parents were together. As a data collection tool, the “Anxiety Scale in Preschool Children–Parent Form” developed by Spence et al. (2001) and adapted into Turkish by Şahin (2020), was used. The data were analyzed via SPSS 25.0. Independent samples t tests, Mann‒Whitney U tests, and Kruskal‒Wallis H tests were applied. Results The analysis results revealed four main findings: (1) The overall anxiety levels of children with divorced parents were significantly greater than those of children whose parents were together (t(109)= 1.788, p < .05). (2) No significant differences were found in anxiety levels in terms of sex or age group. (3) A significant difference was identified on the basis of mothers' education levels; children of mothers who graduated from primary school presented greater anxiety in the subdimensions of obsessive‒compulsive disorder (χ²(3) = 12.137, p < .05) and fear of physical injury (χ²(3) = 7.838, p < .05). (4) No significant differences were found in terms of fathers' education levels or the type of school attended. Conclusions These findings indicate that preschool children from divorced families have high levels of anxiety. It has been determined that family structure and parental education level play decisive roles in children's anxiety levels. Early screening studies should be conducted during the preschool period, seminars on parenting skills should be organized for mothers with low education levels, and psychological support services should be expanded for parents who are divorced.