Effects of maternal communication and children's social cognitive and communication skills on children's acceptance by the peer group

This study examines effects of children's social skills and maternal communication on children's peer acceptance. Four of children's social-cognitive skills and three of their communication skills were assessed as potential predictors of peer acceptance. Maternal communication in two contexts, control and nurturance, was examined. It was hypothesized that both children's skills and maternal communication would predict children's acceptance, but controlling for children's skills would eliminate the effect of maternal communication. Results indicate maternal communication and children's skills were associated with distinct aspects of peer acceptance. Unexpectedly, effects of maternal communication were not mediated by children's skills. Pragmatic implications of the findings are discussed.