How Parenting Anxiety, Number of Children, and Employment Status Affect the Parental Anger of Mothers with Young Children in Korea

Abstract

Objectives: A difficulty in controlling anger causes dissonance and injury among members of society, and hence the healthy expression of anger by parents with young children is important to the community health of the future society. This study aimed to investigate relationships between parenting anxiety, the number of children in a family, maternal employment status, and the parental anger of mothers, in order to identify the main variables explaining parental anger. Methods: The participants were 219 mothers of young children residing in Korea. The results of the Likert self-report by mothers were analyzed using descriptive, correlation, and multiple regression statistics. Results: First, the more anxiety from parenting the mother experienced, the more anger as a parent they expressed. Also, the more children the mothers had, the higher levels of anger they experienced. Unemployed mothers experienced significantly more impulsive anger than their employed counterparts. Secondly, the number of children, maternal employment status, and three anxiety factors related to parenting efficacy, attachment with a child, and worries about a child explained parental anger. Conclusion: Mothers with young children in Korea are more likely to pursue a united relationship between mother and child, suggesting that parenting anxiety, number of children, and maternal employment are important factors in the psychological wellbeing of Korean mothers of preschool children. Considering the importance of healthy mother-child relations and young children's learning of anger expression for the formation of a healthy community, support is critical to strengthen mothers' competence to manage parenting anxiety and anger expression.

Aging Mother–Adult Daughter Differentiation, Psychological Well-Being, and Parental Status

“…Obtaining education was less prioritized for the mothers' generation due to the influence of a patriarchal family system [42]. Consequently, this generation of aging mothers tended to focus more on their children's accomplishments, as reported by Chung and Chin [43]. However, in contemporary Korean culture, adult daughters have been taught to value independence and place greater emphasis on their careers and immediate family.…”