| Summary: | Few studies have been conducted on the transition to parenthood in the context of Korean society, where rapid modernization has brought about abrupt changes in family structure for young couples. The purpose of the present study is to describe the experiences of 52 urban Korean primiparous mothers during their transition to parenthood, by comparing maternal adaptation in nuclear and traditional family settings. All mothers were interviewed at the hospital after delivery and one week later, at each mother's home. The degree to which the pregnancies were planned, marital satisfaction, mothers' observation of traditional customs, such as Taegyo, levels of maternal depression and self esteem, and maternal adaptation were measured. The data show that mothers who lived in traditional family settings received more support from their families and were more likely to use their mothers as sources of information on childcare, to observe the traditional customs related to childbirth, and to breast-feed, than the nuclear family mothers. Although living in nuclear family settings, the nuclear family mothers maintained close contact with their families of origin. Their husbands were more involved in childcare, and the mothers were more likely to use books and peers as sources of knowledge about childcare. They were more self-reliant and less depressed than the traditional family mothers. The findings suggest that the transition to parenthood is influenced by mothers' lack of information about pregnancy and child care, by the lack of previous experience in childcare, and by the quality of the support mothers receive. These results provide support for preventive educational programs, designed to provide information and modeling of childrearing practices for new mothers. These principles should be based on the integration of the findings of modern psychology and medicine and traditional beliefs and practices of related to parenthood.
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