Abstract
[Objective] This study aimed to examine the mental health status of mothers and fathers who have children under 6. It looked at the correlation between the mental health status of mothers and fathers, and at factors with strong correlations to their mental health. The significance of this study was to offer suggestions for better mental health care for mothers. [Methods] Questionnaires were distributed to 552 couples and collected by post. The questionnaires gathered information about social background, and the General Health Questionnaire (henceforth GHQ12) was used to measure the status of mental health of the mothers and fathers. Descriptive and categorical regression analysis were mainly used for statistical analyses. [Results] 1. Mothers'mental health was significantly worse than fathers' mental health. 2. The results showed a statistically significant correlation between mothers' mental health and fathers'mental health. 3. The factors which most affected mothers' mental health were : 'father's level of education' 'mother's satisfaction with father's child rearing' and 'mother's own health'. The factors which most affected fathers' mental health were : 'mother's mental health', 'father's level of education' and 'whether father wanted the pregnancy/childbirth'. [Discussion] The results of this study suggest that the mothers' mental health status was worse than the fathers'. This might be related to the big gap between the sense of responsibility for child rearing felt by mothers and fathers. This study highlighted the importance of studying and supporting the mother and father as a couple rather than considering the mother alone. This study also suggested that it would be helpful if fathers were encouraged by healthcare services to accept unwanted children and to learn child rearing skills, and that it is important for care givers to support mothers' physical health in order to improve their mental health. Finally, this study found that the research which also considered the factor of the regional environment characteristic is indis- pensable to a mother's improvement in mental health.
