A Phenomenologic Study on the Married Nurse's Experience of Child Rearing

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine a married nurse's experience of child rearing through being applied to phenomenological research method. By exchanging their experiences, helping and understanding one another, married nurses can work with delight considering their own present job as their lifelong job. In addition this study can help single nurses overcome the female crises such as marriage, childbirth, and child rearing they will experience in the future. The subjects of this research was 26 married nurses who work for a university hospital in affiliation in Seoul and have children. The period of materials collection was from Feb. lst to Mar. 3, 1995. The method of materials collection was primarily to write down a questionary with openhearted contents. In collecting it, the respondents were allowed to say at their pleasure through further interview. The materials were analyzed by Giorgi's phenomenological analysis method. The findings of this study are as follows ; 1) The responses of married nurses' experience of child rearing-[pleasure][family solidarity][maternal-infant attachment][understanding][toilsome]-were induced. That is, at once affirmative experience and hard experience coexisted.2) The method of married nurses' child rearing-[rearing politely][raising understanding][having the sense of family community][rearing with praying the heart][careless]-were induced.3) The support system of married nurses' child rearing-[having help family][having help from others]-were induced.According to the above findings, the married nursed showed affirmative responses about their experience of child rearing, but at the same time they expressed painful when stayed apart from their children on account of their job or when their children were sick. In the method of child rearing, they tried to grow their children polite because there was much time for them to stay apart from their children. And they tried to give a better explanation in order that their children can have an independence spirit. They tended to compensate through frequent physical touch with their children. As the support system of married nurses' child rearing, they asked their parents or their parents-in-law to take care of their children, hired a nursery governess in their houses, or used a children's home, if they can't afford to. That is, the only one who has a firm sense of her profession, tries to inspire her accomplishment, and is receiving her husband' love and understanding is considered to perform two things simultaneously with harmony, having an recognition of lifelong job.Suggestions 1. The method to solve mental troubles on child rearing should be groped.2. Their economical burden should be reduced by establishing children's home in their working places, and the increase of maternal-infant interaction should be contrived.3. The chance of education should be offered in order that married nurses themselves might inspire self-conceit and professionalism on clinical nursing.4. The familiar mood should be created through planning the programs to be accompanied with children as an annual event in hospital.5. The part-time nurse system should be suggested to utilize.6. The system of circulation working should be converted into the system of fixing working according to the characteristic of each department.7. Programs for special activities such as learning foreign languages and computer should be supported positively.