Abstract
Purpose
This study was aimed to determine the factors which have an influence on childcare adaptation in one-month-old babies' mothers.
Subjects and Methods
Subjects were two hundred and seventy five mothers who came to hospital to have their one-month-old babies undergo a regular medical check-up. They were first asked to participate in this research and then those who consented to cooperate were handed out a questionnaire. They were not asked to write their names on the questionnaire sheets.
Results
Two hundred seventy five subjects produced a total of two hundred and twenty six valid responses (82.2%), of which one hundred and twenty (53.1%) were from primiparae and one hundred and six (46.9%) were from multiparae. Including thirty two independent variables, two of which were found related to each other in an attribute, a multiple linear regression analysis was conducted on the collected data using a compulsory input method. It was found that as for primiparae, five independent variables were associated with childcare adaptation (R=0.84, R2=0.59, and p<0.001). They were "baby nursing is tough," "childcare is enjoyable," "bathing a baby is tough," "you have adjusted to life as a parent," and "you have a person who understands you." As for multiparae, four independent variables were found to be associated with childcare adaptation (R=0.78, R2=0.43, and p<0.001). They were "You have a very helpful person," "You can perceive your baby being hungry quickly," "You have adjusted to life as a parent," and "You have a person who helps you with childcare during the night."
Conclusion
To help mothers better adjust to life as a parent, providing them the following points is emphasized as all key in importance: practical childcare skills which enable them to feel in the early stage of child rearing that they have adjusted to life as a parent, assistance with childcare in the nighttime, emotional support, and coping skills for dealing with crying babies.
