母親照顧幼兒進食的經驗

The Experience of Mothers in Feeding Activity with Toddlers

周希津(Hsi-Chin Chou) ； 羅鈞令(Jin-Ling Lo)

《職能治療學會雜誌》 27卷2期 (2009/12) Pp. 13-28

https://doi.org/10.6594/JTOTA.2009.27(2).02

摘要

照顧幼兒進食是一種親子共同職能活動，雙方參與此活動所得之經驗，影響著彼此的健康與安適感。因此，本研究旨在探究母親照顧幼兒進食的經驗，以瞭解母親從事此活動的觀點與感受，進而協助她們反思自己做法與經驗之間的關聯，而得以找到更合適的照顧方式，來提升親子雙方的健康與安適感。本研究採質性研究法，訪談十一位育有1至3歲幼兒的母親，以了解她們照顧幼兒進食的經驗。訪談全程錄音並轉譯成逐字稿以進行分析。
結果發現，母親照顧幼兒進食的經驗有三大主題：對幼兒進食有所期待、照顧過程有苦也有樂，以及解讀幼兒行為並做回應。首先，母親對幼兒進食的營養與食量、進食安全與規矩、進食速度等都有所期待，並希望培養幼兒獨立進食的能力。其次，母親照顧過程中的感受，多受到幼兒表現的影響。若幼兒表現不符期待，母親會感到苦惱；若是合乎母親的期待，則母親會有成就感。不過倘若家人對於幼兒進食的觀念和母親不同，亦會帶給母親壓力。因此母親既要擔負幼兒進食的責任，又要顧及家庭的和諧，使得照顧幼兒進食活動成為母親的一大挑戰。另外，母親在照顧幼兒進食時，會嘗試解讀幼兒的表現來調整自己的作法。母親會尋求與評估他人的意見、整合自己照顧幼兒的經驗、或與他人的狀況相比，幫助自己瞭解幼兒表現的原因以採取相對應的處理策略，進而順利完成照顧幼兒進食的任務。
總括來說，本研究呈現出照顧幼兒進食這項共同職能活動對母親、幼兒甚至家人的意義與重要性，有助於喚起母親的自覺，並有意識地計畫與執行這項日常職能活動。健康照顧人員亦得以深入瞭解此活動對親子及家人的影響，而能提供更適切的服務與建議，促進全家人的健康與安適。

關鍵字

幼兒 ； 餵食 ； 母親 ； 職能經驗

並列摘要

Feeding young children is a co-occupation for mothers and children. The experience of this co-occupation will influence their health and levels of well-being. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the mothers' experience of feeding young children in order to realize the perspectives and feelings of this occupation to mothers. Then through this investigation, it can help mothers to reflect on the links between the way they did and the experience they got. So that mothers can find out the most appropriative way to take care of their young children and raise their health and levels of well-being. In this study, a qualitative research method was used. Eleven mothers, with a toddler who is one to three year-old, were interviewed. All the interviews were recorded and were transcribed verbatim thereafter for analysis.
Three main themes were found in the feeding experiences of mothers: all the mothers had expectations of their children; they had both pleasant and unpleasant experiences in this occupation; and they would try to interpret and then respond to their toddlers' behavior. First of all, mothers would expect their toddlers to have a balanced-diet and appropriate amount of food, eating safely and properly and finishing the food in a reasonable period of time. Mothers would also hope to develop independent self-feeding ability of their toddlers. Second, in the process of feeding, mothers' feelings would be usually influenced by their toddlers' performance. When the toddlers' performance was not what the mothers expected, mothers would feel upset. Otherwise, they would have a sense of accomplishment. However, if other family members have different viewpoints of feeding, it would also make mothers stressful. Therefore, mothers have to take the responsibility of feeding their toddler as well as to maintain the harmony of family this made this occupation a great challenge to mothers. Third, when feeding their toddlers, mothers would try to interpret toddlers' behavior and then adjust their approaches. Mothers would seek and evaluate other's opinions, integrate their own past experiences, or compare their experience with that of other mother-child dyads to help themselves to understand the possible reasons of their toddlers' reaction in order to take the corresponding strategies to feed toddler more successfully.
In conclusion, this study revealed the meaning and importance of this co-occupation to toddlers, mothers, and even family members. The results of this study can increase the self-awareness of mothers and enable them to plan and execute this occupation consciously. In addition, it also helps the health professionals to understand the effect of this occupation on mothers, children, and their families more clearly, so that they can provide more appropriate services and advices to promote the health and well-being of the whole family.

並列關鍵字

toddler ； feeding ； mother ； occupational experience