Effects of a Maternal Education Program Based on the Temperament Theory on the Temperamental Goodness-of-Fit between Mother and Child

Abstract

This study was aimed to evaluate the effects of a maternal education program based on the temperament theory on the temperamental goodness-of-fit between mother and child. The research method was a nonequivalent, control group, non-synchronized design and the experimental period was from May 10, 2004 to July 24, 2004. The subjects were mothers who had children 3-4 years old who registered in eight kindergartens or infant schools in M city. Among the total 94 subjects, 47 were allocated as an experimental group and 47 were a control group. Using the SPSS/WIN 10.0 program, the data was analyzed by a Chi-square test, and t-test. 1. After treatment with a maternal education program based on the temperament theory, the experimental group significantly decreased in scores for perceived children's behavior problems in comparison to the control group(t=-4.01, p<.001). 2. After treatment with a maternal education program based on the temperament theory, the experimental group did not significantly decrease in scores for parenting stress in comparison to the control group(t=-.85, p=.40). 3. After treatment with a maternal education program based on the temperament theory, the experimental group did not significantly decrease in scores for rejective parenting behaviors in comparison to the control group(t=-1.32, p=.19). A maternal education program based on the temperament theory is a useful intervention to decrease perceived children's behavior problems.