Association between Maternal Childrearing Attitudes Perceived by Female Nursing Students and Their Stress-Coping Strategies / Mental Health in Late Adolescence

Abstract

Purpose: This study focused on how to effectively support the mental health of female nursing students according to their perspectives on their mothers’ childrearing attitudes, and also aimed to clarify the association between childrearing styles and the stress-coping strategies / mental health conditions of these students.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using anonymous self-report questionnaires completed by 648 female students in the 1st and 2nd grades of a 3-year nursing school program.
Results: Participants indicated poorer mental health conditions compared to age-matched students in other schools. Logistic regression analysis with mental health condition as a dependent variable showed that students who used “self-accusation” as a coping strategy were 5.8 times more likely to have poor mental health, and students whose mothers were “cold-authoritative” were 2.2 times more likely to have poor mental health.
Conclusion: Results suggest that it would be effective to preferentially provide mental health support to female nursing students who perceive their mothers’ childrearing attitudes as “cold-authoritative” and who use “self-accusation” as a coping strategy.