Korean J Child Stud. 2012; 33(4): 69-89.
Maternal Perceptions of the Conditions of Happiness across the Life-Cycles of Their Children
자녀 생애주기별 어머니의 행복 조건에 대한 인식 경향
정계숙 , 유미숙 , 박수홍 , 최은실
Kai Sook Chung , Mee Sook Yoo , Su Hong Park , Eun Sil Choi
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in maternal perceptions of mothers in regards to the conditions of happiness across the life-cycles of their children. The participants consisted of a total of 961 women who were the mothers of preschool children, school aged children, and adolescents. The mothers completed a questionnaire on the perceptions of the conditions of happiness which consisted of a total of 56 items. The results of this study revealed that mothers in their 20`s and 30`s, with high levels of education, and on high incomes were more likely to have high expectations regarding most of the conditions of happiness compared to mothers in their 40`s and 50`s, with lower levels of education, and on low incomes. In addition, the results further revealed that mothers perceived that ``children grow up well and healthy`` as being the most important factor in their happiness regardless of the life cycles of their children. In particular, mothers with younger children tended to give greater priority to a close mother-child relationship in their happiness. However, when mothers` demographic variables were controlled, there were no differences in maternal perceptions of the conditions of happiness across the life-cycles of their children. The implications of parent education and the directions of following research were also discussed.
Key words :
conditions of happiness, maternal perceptions, Life-cycles of children
