Mother’s guilt and its effect on feelings toward children under three years

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of guilt experienced by mothers on feelings toward children under three years of age, as well as the effects of depression on mothers’ feelings of guilt. Mothers (N ＝345) completed a questionnaire. Results indicated that “ negative feelings toward the child” and “feelings of priority over the child” were related to mothers’ sense of guilt. Moreover, depression influenced feelings of guilt in mothers with children under one-year, and it had an effect on feelings towards the child. Furthermore, depressive symptoms in mothers with children between one and three years influenced feelings of guilt, which in turn negatively influenced feelings toward the child, whereas feelings of priority over the child positively influenced feelings toward the child. It was concluded that characteristics of guilty feeling in mothers and the age of her children has an interactive effect on mothering