Father Involvement in Child-rearing and Maternal Depression During Early Childhood

유아기 자녀를 둔 아버지의 양육참여도와 어머니 우울

Purpose: The purposes of this descriptive survey study were to describe levels of father involvement in child-rearing and maternal depression. Method: Data were collected from 277 mothers who had one to three years old infant at 8 day care centers and 2 public health centers in S and B city. The instrument used for this study was a self-report questionnaire that included the father involvement in child-rearing scale and maternal depression(BDI). Results: The mean score for father involvement in child-rearing was $44.60{\pm}12.06$. For father involvement in child-rearing, there were significant differences according to chid birth order, father's education, mother's job, income, marriage satisfaction, support for child-rearing. The mean for maternal depression was $10.24{\pm}7.70$. For maternal depression, there were significant differences according to mother's religion, parent's education, father's job, income, marriage satisfaction, support for child-rearing. There is significant difference in the maternal depression according to the father involvement in child-rearing. Conclusion: Father involvement in child-rearing and maternal depression influence child development. It is essential to assess father's participation in child-rearing and maternal depression, to develop knowledge about role of father for child health.