어머니의 불안이 양육행동에 미치는 영향: 어머니 양육효능감을 매개로

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the mediation of maternal self-efficacy in the effects of maternal anxiety on mothers' parenting behaviors. Two-hundred-and-twelve mothers of children aged between two and six years were measured their levels of trait anxiety, maternal self-efficacy, and parenting behaviors (warmth/acceptance, rejection/ coercion, and laissez- faire/neglect). Consistent with previous findings, maternal anxiety and maternal self- efficacy related significantly to each of three parenting dimensions, and maternal anxiety also related significantly to maternal self-efficacy. A series of regression analyses were conducted to test mediation effects and results found partial mediations of maternal self-efficacy in the effects of maternal anxiety on warmth/acceptance, rejection/coercion, and laissez-faire/neglect parenting. Separate analyses were attempted to identify any difference in the patterns of mediations depending on child gender. Such difference was found in laissez-faire/neglect parenting of mothers who have sons and in warmth/acceptance parenting of mothers who have daughters and in those cases a full mediation, instead of a partial mediation, was found. A partial mediation was found in the rest of relationships, as in the case when using all the mothers data. These results suggest that maternal anxiety relates to mothers' parenting behaviors, both directly or through the mediation of maternal self-efficacy. The results also suggest that depending on child gender maternal anxiety affects certain parenting behaviors only through the mediation of maternal self-efficacy. Theoretical and clinical implications were discussed.