Mothers’ Attitudes toward Maternal Employment, Maternal Well-Being, Maternal Sensitivity and Children’s Socioemotional OutcomesWhen Mothers Engage in Different Amounts of Employment

국문 초록 (Abstract)

미국 전역에 어린 자녀를 둔 어머니들을 대상으로 그들의 취업의 정도에 따라 자녀가 생후 6개월 되었을 때부터 줄곧 취업한 어머니, 때로는 취업했지만 때로는 전업주부로 보낸 어머니, 그리고 늘 전업주부였던 어머니 세 집단으로 나누어 이들이 자녀를 출생했을 때 가졌던 모성취업에 대한 태도를 비교하였다. 또한 모성취업에 대해 우호적인 태도를 가진 정도에 따라 어머니의 심리적 복지감, 자녀에 대한 민감한 양육태도, 그리고 아동이 생후 3세일때 와 초등학교 1학년일 때 이들의 사회정서발달을 종단적으로 조사하여 비교하였다. 결과는 늘 취업했던 어머니의 경우, 모성 취업이 자녀에게 유익하다고 생각할수록 어머니의 심리적 복지감이 높았고, 자녀에 대한 양육태도에서 민감성이 높았으며 이에 따라 자녀가 3세일 때와 초등학교 1학년일 때 사회정서발달이 더 긍정적이었다. 자녀의 사회정서발달은 부모 뿐 아니라 보육교사 (3세)와 초등학교 교사 (일학년)의 응답도 포함하고 있다. 반면 늘 전업주부였던 어머니 집단의 경우 모성취업에 대해 긍정적일수록 어머니의 심리적 복지감과 민감성이 더 낮았으며, 아동의 사회정서발달도 부정적인 영향을 받았다. 이는 어머니의 취업 여부가 어머니 자신 및 자녀 발달에 영향을 미친다기 보다는 어머니가 자신의 취업상황을 해석하는 태도, 즉 모성 취업에 대한 태도와 실제 상황과의 일치정도가 어머니와 자녀의 심리에 영향을 미친다는 것을 시사한다. 즉 어머니가 모성취업이 자녀에게 도움이 된다고 생각한 경우, 전업주부로 남기보다는 취업을 하는 편이 본인과 자녀에게 유익한 영향을 미치며, 반면에 전업주부로 남았을 당시 취업하고 싶은 욕구가 만족되지 않아 스스로 심리적 어려움을 겪게 되고 이것이 양육태도에 영향을 미쳐 아동 발달에까지 간접적으로 영향을 주게 된다는 것이 밝혀졌다. 이 연구는 취업이 모성 및 자녀에게 미치는 영향을 취업 유무에 따라서만 비교하던 기존의 연구를 넘어서서 취업한 어머니와 취업하지 않은 어머니 모두를 대상으로 그들의 가치관 및 태도에 따라 취업/비취업이 가지는 의미가 달라질 수 있음을 밝혔다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The relations among mothers’ attitudes about the effects of maternal employment on children, psychological well-being, sensitivity and children’s socioemotional development were examined for mothers who worked full-time (extensively) from age 6 months on, mothers who were not employed, and mothers who worked part-time or inconsistently during their children’s early years. Longitudinal observations of 1213 mothers and children in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care from age one month to first grade were analyzed using structural equation models. As predicted, mothers and children benefited when maternal attitudes were consistent with mother’s actual employment status. Among extensively employed mothers, those with positive attitudes about employment had better psychological well-being ; among mothers who were not employed, those who believed that maternal employment would have negative consequences for children’s development reported better psychological well-being. For mothers who worked inconsistently or part-time, maternal attitudes did not predict their psychological well-being. These patterns held when mothers were classified by amount of employment during child’s first 12 months, the child’s first three years, or the entire preschool period. In all the employment groups, mothers’ psychological well-being, in turn, predicted maternal sensitivity in mother-child interaction when children were 36 months old, but not at first grade. Maternal wellbeing mediated the relations between mothers’ attitudes and mother-reported child outcomes at both phases. Better psychological well-being predicted fewer problem behaviors and greater social competence as rated by mothers, but the relations of maternal well-being and sensitivity to caregiver/teacher-reported child outcomes were inconsistent. The relations among mothers’ psychological well-being, sensitivity, and child socioemotional outcomes did not differ across the employment groups.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Abstract = ⅵ
• Table of Contents = ⅷ
• Introduction = 1
• Literature Review = 4
• The Effects of Maternal Employment = 4
• Developmental Issues of the Effects of Maternal Employment = 4
• Is It Really Whether the Mother Works or Not? = 9
• Effects of Employment on the Mother-Child Relationship = 11
• Maternal Well-Being Mother-Child Relationships and Child Development = 16
• The Effects of Maternal Well-Being and Mother-Child Relationship on Socioemotional Development of Children = 16
• Maternal Well-Being and Mother-Child Relationship in the Effects of Maternal Employment = 17
• Mothers’ Beliefs and Attitudes about Maternal Employment = 20
• Beliefs and Attitudes about Maternal Employment = 21
• Mothers’ Beliefs and Attitude, Mothers’ Psychological Well-Being and Mother-Child Relationship = 23
• Congruence of Attitudes and Employment Status = 26
• Maternal Beliefs and Attitudes and Children’s Development = 29
• The Present Study = 33
• Method = 39
• Participants = 39
• Procedures = 42
• Measures = 43
• Maternal, Child and Family Controls = 43
• Positive Attitudes toward Maternal Employment = 43
• Maternal Psychological Well-Being = 45
• Maternal Sensitivity = 47
• Children’s Socioemotional Development = 49
• Analysis Plan = 51
• Definition of Groups = 51
• Analyses Strategy = 54
• Results = 59
• Employment Group Descriptions = 59
• Tests of the Theoretical Model When Children were 36 Months Old = 61
• Child’s Socioemotional Development at 36 months in 12-month Employment Groups = 62
• Child’s Socioemotional Development at 36 months in 36-month Employment Groups = 68
• Tests of the Theoretical Model When Children were First Grade = 71
• Child’s Socioemotional Development at First Grade in 36-month Employment Groups = 72
• Child’s Socioemotional Development a First Grade in First Grade Employment Groups = 75
• The Middle Group = 77
• Discussion = 82
• Mothers’ Attitudes toward Maternal Employment and Psychological Well-Being = 83
• Do Beliefs Relate to Psychological Well-Being Differently by Employment Status? = 83
• Do the Effects of Beliefs and Attitudes Last? Evidence from Longitudinal Approach = 85
• The Middle Group = 87
• Mediating Roles of Mothers’ Psychological Well-being and Sensitivity = 90
• Mediation of Psychological Well-Being in the Relations of Mothers’ Attitudes to Child Socioemotional Outcomes = 90
• Mediation of Maternal Sensitivity in the Relations of Mothers’ Attitudes to Child Socioemotional Outcomes = 91
• Limitations of the Study = 95
• Future Research = 98
• Tables = 101
• Figures = 117
• APPENDIX A = 132
• APPENDIX B = 148
• APPENDIX C = 157
• References = 203
• VITA = 221