The Effect of Children’s Temperament on Maternal Attachment: The Moderating Effect of Mother’s Self-Differentiation
AUTHOR : 김세리, 이완정
INFORMATION : page. 89~111 / 2022 Vol.29 No.3
ABSTRACT
This study examines the moderating effect of mothers’ self-differentiation on the relationship between young children’s temperament and maternal attachment. In this study, 259 mothers with children aged 3 to 5 were selected as study participants. After controlling for background variables related to maternal attachment, hierarchical regression analysis was performed to investigate the moderating effect of mothers’ self-differentiation on the relationship between children’s temperament and maternal attachment. The results of the analysis showed that a higher children’s effortful control among temperamental characteristics and a higher mothers’ self-differentiation resulted in a higher level of maternal attachment, and mothers’ self-differentiation moderates the association between children’s effortful control and maternal attachment. That is, even if the level of children’s effortful control was low, the results showed that a higher mothers’ self-differentiation tendency resulted in a higher positive effect of children’s temperament on maternal attachment. The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to design a parenting education program to improve mothers’ self-differentiation by simultaneously considering mothers’ psychological and personality characteristics and the adaptive contribution of the children’s temperament development.