Relationship between the Contentment of Mothers of Infants with Parenting Advice and Their Recognition in Judging Credibility

Abstract

Background: This study sought to clarify the contentment of mothers of infants with parenting advice, judgment regarding credibility of parenting advice, and the relationship between such contentment and judgment. Methods: We conducted an anonymous, self-reported questionnaire-based survey from April to June 2016, targeting 1,118 mothers of infants in Prefecture A. The questions covered basic attributes, contentment with parenting advice, and judging the credibility of such advice. Descriptive statistics were compiled for each factor. A t-test was performed to examine the relationship between contentment with parenting advice and judging the credibility of parenting advice. This study was conducted with the approval of the Ethics Committee of Tokushima University Hospital. Results: The questionnaires were returned by 272 subjects (collection rate of 24.3%), with 265 determined as valid (valid response rate of 23.7%). The mean score for contentment concerning parenting advice was 6.17 (standard deviation: ±1.69). More than 80% of the subjects indicated being able to select credible parenting advice, and more than 70% had sought professional consultation about childrearing. However, among subjects who had not sought professional consultation, some had wanted to seek professional consultation but had not been able to do so. Relating contentment to judging the credibility of parenting advice, the mean contentment scores of the subjects who felt able to select credible parenting advice were significantly higher than the scores of those who did not (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Although study participants’ contentment relating to parenting advice seemed higher than that of teenage mothers, their levels of contentment appeared insufficient. Additionally, some subjects wanted to seek professional consultation about childrearing but could not. Furthermore, mothers who reported being able to select credible parenting advice were found to obtain and apply sufficient parenting advice, compared to those who did not feel the same confidence.