The purpose of this study was to suggest desirable child-rearing values and beliefs of parents that could help prevent infants' behavioral problems by investigating them in terms of the cognitive characteristics of their child-rearing values and belie...
The purpose of this study was to suggest desirable child-rearing values and beliefs of parents that could help prevent infants' behavioral problems by investigating them in terms of the cognitive characteristics of their child-rearing values and beliefs. For that, it was tested if there were significant differences in their child-rearing values and beliefs and in the infants' behavioral problems according to the parents' educational background. And it was also examined what kind of impacts their child-rearing values and beliefs would have on the infants' behavioral problems.
In doing the tests, 267 parents having infants aged from four to five attending educational agencies for infants in Daegu were sampled in a purposive manner. They were asked to evaluate their infants' behavioral problems by filling out a questionnaire in addition to their child-rearing values and beliefs according to their educational background. The collected data were analyzed with the SPSS Win 12.0 program in MANOVA, ANOVA, t-test, and Scheffe's test. The analysis results were tested in the significant level of α<.05.
First, there were significant differences in the parents' child-rearing values and beliefs according to the educational background of both mothers and fathers. The differences were found in the accommodative child-rearing values and discipline and control-based child-rearing belief according to the mothers' educational background. The results were the same in the accommodative and self-instructive child-rearing value and hyperactivity cautious and discipline and control-based child-rearing belief according to the fathers' educational background. They both underestimated the self-instructive child-rearing value and considered discipline and control more important than caution against hyperactivity.
Second, there were no significant differences in the infants' behavioral problems such as aggression, withdrawal, immaturity, and anxiety according to the parents' educational background. But there were some in their aggressive behavior according to the fathers' educational background.
Third, there were significant differences observed in the infants' aggression and anxiety-based behavioral problems according to the parents' collectivist child-rearing values. Those problems were more frequent under those parents whose collectivist child-rearing values were weak. The infants also showed significant differences in their withdrawal and anxiety-based behavioral problems according to the parents' child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection. The group whose child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection was strong had the infants that revealed more of those problems than the group of weak.
Fourth, the infants' aggressive behavior was explained significantly by the parents' collectivist child-rearing value and child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection. The less collectivist child-rearing value and the stronger child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection the parents had, the more aggressive behavior their infants showed. Their withdrawal was explained only by their child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection. The more child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection they had, the more withdrawal their infants showed. The infants' immature behavior was only explained by the parents' child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection. The more child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection they had, the more immature behavior their infants showed. The infants' anxious behavior was significantly explained only by the parents' collectivist child-rearing value and child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection. The less collectivist child-rearing value and the stronger child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection they had, the more anxious behavior their infants showed. In particular, their anxious behavior was more explained by the parents' child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection than their collectivist child-rearing value.
To sum up, infants' behavioral problems were significantly explained by the parents' collectivist child-rearing value and child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection. That is, the less collectivist child-rearing value and the stronger child-rearing belief of caution against excessive affection they had, the more behavioral problems their infants showed.