In early childhood, relationships with family and teachers are of major importance for children’s development (e.g., Pianta, Hamre, & Stuhlman, 2003). Prior research within attachment theory (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978; Bowlby, 1982) has found associations between maternal sensitivity and the development of emotion regulation. For example, mothers who are highly sensitive are more likely to provide children models of effective emotion regulation (Cassidy, 1994). However, teachers also influence preschoolers’ emotion regulation (e.g., Denham, Bassett, & Zinsser, 2012). For example, Garner, Mahatmya, Moses, and Bolt (2014) found that teacher–child conflict was negatively associated with children’s emotion regulation. In addition, some characteristics of children, particularly temperament, also impact the quality of teacher- child relationship (e.g., Rudasill, 2011). Based on this complex interplay, we aim to test how children’s temperament influences the potential interaction effect of the quality of teacher-child relationship and maternal sensitivity on emotion regulation (moderated moderation model), when controlling for maternal education and children’s verbal abilities, sex, and age. For this purpose, 58 randomly selected preschool classrooms and teachers (Area of Lisbon), 315 typically developing preschoolers, and 315 mothers participated in this study. The following procedures were adopted: assessment of (a) maternal sensitivity with the Ainsworth’s original Sensitivity-Insensitivity to Infant Signals and Communications Observational Scale (Ainsworth, Bell, & Stayton, 1974) and Erickson scales (Egeland, Erickson, Clemenhagen-Moon, Hiester, & Korfmacher, 1990); (b) verbal abilities with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test – Revised (Dunn, 1986); (c) temperament with the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (Putnam & Rothbart, 2006); (d) quality of teacher-child relationship with the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale – Short Form (Pianta, 1992/2010); and (e) emotion regulation with the Emotion Regulation Checklist (Shields & Cicchetti, 1995, 1997). We expect to contribute to the knowledge of factors predicting emotion regulation in preschool-aged children, identifying potential promoting or compensatory effects of the quality of teacher-child relationship.

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