A Study on Infant Temperament and Mother-Infant Attachment of Breast-Feeding Mothers

Gun Ja Jang; Kwi Ae Chung

doi:10.4069/kjwhn.2009.15.3.224

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Jang and Chung: A Study on Infant Temperament and Mother-Infant Attachment of Breast-Feeding Mothers

Original Article

Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing

Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing 2009; 15(3): 224-230.

Published online: 29 September 2009

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4069/kjwhn.2009.15.3.224

A Study on Infant Temperament and Mother-Infant Attachment of Breast-Feeding Mothers

Gun Ja Jang¹, Kwi Ae Chung²

¹Full-time Instructor, Department of Nursing, Daegu Haany University, Korea.

²Professor, Department of Nursing, Yeungnam College of Science & Technology, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Chung, Kwi Ae, Department of Nursing, Yeungnam College of Science & Technology, 274 Hyeonchung-ro, Namgu, Daegu 705-703, Korea. Tel: 82-53-650-9384, Fax: 82-53-625-4705, kchung@ync.ac.kr

Received 2 July 2009 Accepted 4 September 2009

Abstract

Purpose

This study was conducted to investigate infant temperament and mother-infant attachment of breast-feeding mothers with a 5 ~ 7 month old infant.

Methods

This study was descriptive research. The subjects were 258 infants and their mothers participating in 'Year 2007 Healthy Breastfed BabyContest' on September 5, 2007 and visiting a community health service center from September 1 to December 30 in 2007. The data was gathered by structured questionnaires about the Maternal Attachment Inventory (MAI) and What My baby is Like (WBL).

Results

The mean score of WBL was 6.75 and that of MAI was 3.88. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the score of infant temperament and mother-infant attachment (r = .33, p < .01).

Conclusion

Breast-feeding mothers perceived infant's temperament as more positive, therefore, breast-feeding should be encouraged.

Keywords: Breast-Feeding, Infant, Mother, Attachment, Temperament

Figures and Tables

Table 1

General characteristics of the study subjects (N=258)

Table 2

Level of infant temperament and mother-infant attachment (N=258)

Table 3

Level of infant temperament and mother-infant attachment according to general characteristics (N=258)

Table 4

Relationship between infant temperament and mother-infant attachment (N=258)

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