PURPOSE
This study was carried out to provide the theoretical understanding of mothers' child-rearing attitude and the eventual purpose was to contribute to the development of nursing interventions to help mothers have love-automous childrearing attitudes which will foster child development and enhance harmonious child-mother relationship.
METHOD
The data were collected from April to september, 2002 by questionnaires with 130 married child-rearing mothers. Mothers' child-rearing attitudes were rated on the 5-point sclae of Schaefer's Maternal Behavior Research Instrument(MBRI).
RESULT
1) In love vs hostility and autonomy vs control, the score of love(3.79) is higher than hostility(2.64) and the score of autonomy(3.54) is higher than control(2.58). 2) In love-autonomous child-rearing attitude(3.69) is highest than hostility-control(2.75), love-control(2.70), hostility-autonomous (2.54) child-rearing attitude and the direction is autonomy-->love.
CONCLUSION
Nurses assess mothers' child-rearing attitude and provide teaching and counselling to help mothers to form love-autonomous child-rearing attitude.