2023 Volume 26 Issue 3 Pages 31-42
Objective: We explored and clarified assessment perspectives for municipal public health nurses to determine “parents and children of concern” who need support in preventing child maltreatment, and to obtain suggestions for maternal and child health care activities.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 municipal public health nurses with at least 9 years of experience and at least 5 years of experience in maternal and child health in a municipality in prefecture A. Data were analyzed qualitatively inductively with reference to the content analysis in Berelson B.
Results: 18categories were formed as assessment perspectives, which could be classified into three perspectives for mothers, children, and fathers depending on the subject assessed. For the mothers, there were 12 categories, including clumsiness, ambiguity, and violent behavior when interacting with others. For the fathers, there were 2 categories, including uncooperative behavior in housework and childcare. For the children, there were 4 categories, including difficulty in interacting with others and a sense of distance from other children. The Scott,W.A. formula was confirmed to ensure the reliability of the categories.
Discussion: The researchers considered the assessment perspectives of mothers in terms of their own condition, and of fathers in terms of the fathers’ condition inferred from the mothers’ statements, involvement with their children, and lifestyle, of children in terms of their own condition. In addition, their assessment perspectives were characterized by the fact that they created their own internal “standards” through their experiences with parents and children, and made intuitive judgments in light of these standards.
