女子学生がもつ赤ちゃんイメージの特徴 : 看護学生と他学科学生の比較から

本研究は，看護学生と他学科学生の比較から，女子学生が描く赤ちゃんイメージの構造とそれらに関連する要因を明らかにすることを目的に，A県内にある大学・短期大学・看護専門学校に在学する２０歳以下の１年生に対して質問紙調査を行った．調査項目は，個人的属性，乳児との接触経験，赤ちゃんイメージ，思いやり尺度，児に対する関わり意識尺度，赤ちゃんの範囲である．有効回答３００名（有効回答率６５．２％）を分析対象とした．
赤ちゃんイメージは，第１因子「情緒性」，第２因子「好感度」，第３因子「意思性」の３因子構造であった．児に対する関わり意識は，「育児肯定」「育児行動不満」「乳幼児志向」の３因子構造であった．「好感度」は，「情緒性」・「育児肯定」・「育児行動不満（逆転因子，得点が高いほど不満は低い）」・「乳幼児志向」と正の相関を示した．
看護学生は他学科学生と比べ，「思いやり得点」と「乳幼児志向」・「育児行動不満（逆転因子，得点が高いほど不満は低い）」が有意に高かった．加えて思いやり得点が高い学生ほど「情緒性」と「好感度」が有意に高かった．
また，児と複数回以上の接触経験を持つ学生は，「好感度」と「育児肯定」・「乳幼児志向」が有意に高かった．他学科生は，赤ちゃんとしてとらえる範囲を月齢の大きい児までを含めてイメージし，大きい児をイメージした者ほど「好感度」が有意に高かった．また，児と複数回以上の接触経験を持つ学生は接触経験がない学生に比べ，有意に「育児行動不満（逆転因子，得点が高いほど不満は低い）」の得点が高かった．
児との接触経験が育児行動への不満を弱めること，また思いやりが強い者ほど，接触経験を重ねることで，赤ちゃんイメージと乳幼児への関心を肯定的に高め，育児を肯定的にとらえることが明らかになった．親役割準備教育として，思春期までに思いやりをはぐくむ教育と継続的な児のふれあい体験を持つことの重要性が示唆される．

The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of the ideas that female students have concerning having a baby.
The subjects were female students under ２０ years of age in A prefecture. Responses were obtained from３００students and the valid response rate was６５．２％. The results showed that :
１. There are three factors concerning the idea of having a baby. The first was composed of eleven items indicating “emotions.” The second was composed of eight items indicating “good feelings.” The third was composed of three items indicating “intentions.”
２. There were three factors concerning awareness about having a baby. The first was composed of seven items indicating “child care affirmation.” The second factor was composed of９items indicating “child care complaints.” The third factor was composed of４items indicating “infant-orientation.”
３. The students who had had contact with a baby frequently showed significantly high scores of “good feelings,” “emotions,” “child care affirmation,” “child care complaints,” and infant-orientation” in comparison with students without child care experiences.
４. Comparisons between general university students and nursing students showed a significantly strong sense of compassion. The nursing students how showed a high sense of compassion had significantly high “emotions” and “good feelings” scores.
Having contact with babies had a strong impact on the development of positive feelings towards having a baby. We suggest that we need to educate students to have compassion and to set opportunities for young people to have frequent contact with babies.