J Korean Acad Nurs.  2019 Jun;49(3):241-253. 10.4040/jkan.2019.49.3.241.

A Structural Equation Model for Happiness in Mothers with Young Children

• Yeom M
• Yang S

• KMID: 2451292
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2019.49.3.241

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study aimed to develop and test a model of the happiness of mothers with young children based on the stress-coping-adaptation model of Lazarus and Folkman.
METHODS
The data collection period was from May to July 2016. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect data from 210 mothers with children under 5 years of age living in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon provinces. The exogenous variable was parenting stress, and the endogenous variables were parenting alliance, depression, optimism, ways of coping, and happiness. Data from 201 questionnaires were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 20.0 programs. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling.
RESULTS
The final modified model showed a reasonable fit to the data, and out of 25 paths, 13 were statistically significant. This model explained 78.4% of the variance in the happiness of mothers with young children and confirmed that depression, optimism, parenting alliance, and social support-focused coping have a direct effect on the subject's happiness. Parenting stress also influenced happiness through parenting alliance, depression, and optimism.
CONCLUSION
In order to bolster the happiness of mothers with young children, positive psychological interventions that can minimize psychological vulnerabilities, such as depression, and that can enhance their strengths, such as optimism, may serve as effective ways of coping with and adapting to stress.

Keyword

Mothers; Happiness; Models; Structural

MeSH Terms

Child*
Data Collection
Depression
Gangwon-do
Gyeonggi-do
Happiness*
Humans
Mothers*
Optimism
Parenting
Parents
Seoul
Statistics as Topic

Figure

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  Figure 1. Theoretical and hypothetical framework.

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  Figure 2. Path diagram of the modified model.

Reference

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