Investigating the Role of Motivation Among Parents of Preschool Children.

Introduction: Studies based on the self-determination theory about the antecedents in parent couples with children of school transition years are still limited. Therefore, this research examines the possible association of parental motivation, parental autonomy support, parental psychological control and the parental reports of children's outcomes. Methods: The participants for this study are 150 couples of parents with at least one child from 4 to 6 years old that have completed questionnaires regarding parental motivation, parental practices and parental reports of children's outcomes. Results: Results suggest that both parents' autonomous motivation for parenting was positively associated with parental autonomy support, while the controlled motivation for parenting was positively associated with parental psychological control. Furthermore, however, parental psychological control was positively associated with parental reports of anxiety, anger and parental autonomy support was positively associated with parental reports of social competence. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of motivation and supportive parenting for parents of children between 4 and 6 years.