Preski S, Walker L O
Department of Nursing and Health Sciences, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi 78412, USA.
Res Nurs Health. 1997 Apr;20(2):107-17. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1098-240x(199704)20:2<107::aid-nur3>3.0.co;2-o.
Early child behavior problems have been related to later child adjustment. Therefore, it is important to study factors, such as maternal characteristics, which may affect early child behavior. Existing science stresses the import of maternal identity formation as a key aspect of the early mother-child relationship; however, recent evidence also shows that mothers' health-related lifestyles are salient to preschool children's healthy adjustment. The relative contributions of these two influences on children's behavioral adjustment were compared in a longitudinal mail study of new mothers. The sample consisted of two cohorts of mothers (6 or 12 months postpartum at recruitment) systematically selected (every third name) from published birth announcements in a midwestern newspaper. Maternal identity and lifestyle were both measured when children were 6 to 12 months and were used to predict child behavioral problems 2 years later (N = 122). Using path analysis, the influence of maternal identity and lifestyle on child behavior problems was tested within one model with maternal age, education, family income, and social desirability statistically controlled. The model provided an acceptable fit to the data. The hypothesis that maternal identity would be related to child behavior problems was not supported; however, maternal lifestyle was significantly related to child behavior problems. These findings support the relationship between the mother's health-related lifestyle and her young child's adjustment.
儿童早期行为问题与后期儿童适应情况相关。因此，研究诸如母亲特征等可能影响儿童早期行为的因素很重要。现有科学强调母亲身份形成作为早期母婴关系关键方面的重要性；然而，近期证据也表明，母亲与健康相关的生活方式对学龄前儿童的健康适应很突出。在一项针对初为人母者的纵向邮寄研究中，比较了这两种影响对儿童行为适应的相对贡献。样本由两组母亲（招募时产后6个月或12个月）组成，她们是从一份中西部报纸上公布的出生公告中系统选取（每隔三个名字）的。当孩子6至12个月大时，对母亲身份和生活方式进行了测量，并用于预测两年后孩子的行为问题（N = 122）。使用路径分析，在一个对母亲年龄、教育程度、家庭收入和社会期望进行统计控制的模型中，测试了母亲身份和生活方式对儿童行为问题的影响。该模型对数据提供了可接受的拟合度。母亲身份与儿童行为问题相关的假设未得到支持；然而，母亲的生活方式与儿童行为问题显著相关。这些发现支持了母亲与健康相关的生活方式与其幼儿适应情况之间的关系。
