자녀 수반 자기가치감 인식유형별 정신적 웰빙의 차이

초록

The purpose of this study was to identify empirical differences in mental well-being based on mothers’ perceptual types of child-based self-worth. For this purpose, a survey was conducted with 277 mothers of elementary, middle, and high school students. The research utilized a Q-block assessment tool, developed in a preliminary study to identify four distinct perceptual types (Independent-Separated, Achievement-Dependent Devoted, Ambivalent-Enmeshed, and Emotion-Centered Controlling), alongside the Korean version of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (K-MHC-SF). The collected data were analyzed using Welch’s one-way ANOVA and Games-Howell post-hoc tests, accounting for the heterogeneity of variance between groups. The results revealed statistically significant differences across perceptual types not only in total mental well-being scores but also in all subdomains: emotional, social, and psychological well-being. Specifically, the ‘Independent-Separated Type (Type 1),’ characterized by a clear psychological separation between children’s achievement and maternal self-worth, showed the highest levels of well-being across all dimensions. In contrast, the ‘Achievement-Dependent Devoted Type (Type 2),’ which views children’s academic success as the core achievement of the maternal role and takes sacrifice for granted, exhibited the lowest levels on all well-being indicators. Meanwhile, the ‘Ambivalent-Enmeshed Type (Type 3)’ and ‘Emotion-Centered Controlling Type (Type 4)’ demonstrated intermediate levels of well-being, yet they manifested psychological vulnerabilities stemming from emotional enmeshment or heightened anxiety regarding potential failure. This study is significant as it demonstrates that the subjective manner in which mothers link their children’s achievement to their own self-worth is a critical socio-psychological variable determining actual mental health and quality of life. These findings suggest the necessity of tailored intervention strategies that reflect type-specific characteristics in counseling and parent education settings to effectively promote mothers' mental well-being.

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