International Journal of Research in Paediatric Nursing 2020; 2(1): 43-49

E-ISSN: 2664-1305
P-ISSN: 2664-1291
IJRPN 2020; 2(1): 43-49
A comparative study to assess the emotional problems
Received: 19-11-2019 among children (8-13 years) of working mothers and
Accepted: 21-12-2019

Jyoti M Nirapure
non-working mothers in rural and urban areas of
Ph.D. Scholar Himalayan
University, Itanagar,
Bhopal (M.P.)
Arunachal Pradesh, India

Dr. CP Sharma
Jyoti M Nirapure, Dr. CP Sharma, Pradeep Kumar Yadav and Anil
Principal, BDM College of Kumar Samota
Nursing Jhajjar, Haryana
(Retd. Associate Professor
Abstract
from S.M.S Nursing College,
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
The childhood period is vital because of socialization process by the transmission of attitude, customs,
and behavior through the influence of the family and community. The environment of a child can be
Pradeep Kumar Yadav referred to holistic in various aspects of its influence-physical, social, intellectual, moral, emotional,
Assistant Professor (Paediatric spiritual and psychological areas, so the investigator felt a need to assess the emotional problems
Health Nursing), BDM College among children of working mothers and non working mothers.
of Nursing, Jhajjar, Haryana,
India Keywords: Assess, children, 8-13 years, working mothers, non-working mothers, rural and urban areas

Anil Kumar Samota Introduction

Student M.Sc Final Year Background of the study
(Psychiatric Health Nursing), “The tie which links mother and child is of such pure and immaculate strength as to be never
BDM College of Nursing, violated”
Jhajjar, Haryana India
Washington Irving
In India, about 35% of total populations are children below 12 years of age. Today’s kids are
tomorrow’s pallor’s of our country. The investment on our child in terms of developing
environment both physical and emotional is going to reap rich individuals in future.

“What is done to children, they will do to the society” [1]

Karl -Menninger
The childhood period is vital because of socialization process by the transmission of attitude,
customs, and behavior through the influence of the family and community. The environment
of a child can be referred to holistic in various aspects of its influence-physical, social,
intellectual, moral, emotional, spiritual and psychological areas [2].
The significant contributions made during the early ages of an individual’s life determine the
whole some personality. School age is an important period in which the child learns through
a formal teaching. The surrounding at home and school are going to make a great change in
the children’s emotional and behavioral characteristics. Another one important factors is the
mother’s external employment which has both positive and negative effect on their both
physical and emotional growth.
On an average around 29% of the world’s children suffer from psychosocial problems.
Recent evidence indicates that psychosocial disorders frequently lead to poor school
performance and to dropping-out of school. This wastes educational resources seriously
impairs the economic and social potentials of such children [2]. Children are considered as the
most potential unit of our future human resources in a country like ours, which relies great
deal on its human resource strength therefore, it is necessary in the interest of our country to
look after the health and welfare as they form the most vulnerable segment of the population.
A better tomorrow depend much on the well being safety and development of the children
today.
Corresponding Author: Research suggest that parenting has an important role to play in helping children to become
Jyoti M Nirapure adjusted and the 1st few months and years of a Childs life are especially important in
Ph.D. Scholar Himalayan establishing pattern of emotional, cognitive and social functioning which will in turn
University, Itanagar,
Arunachal Pradesh, India
influence the Childs future development and in particular, their mental health.

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Parenting programmers may therefore have a role to play in their personality

improving the emotional and behavioral adjustment of
infants and toddlers. Behavior problems in children are an Research question
important social, educational and health issues. The 1. Does your child show aggressive behavior?
prevalence of these problems, their stability over time, their 2. Does your child have poor coping skills with their
poor prognosis, and their costs to both individuals and environment or peers?
society, all point to the need for primary prevention and 3. Does your child feel excessive anxiety?
early effective interventions. 4. Does your child share problem with you

Needs of study Statement of the problem

“There is a reason behind everything in nature” “A comparative study to assess the emotional problems
-Aristotle among children (8-13 years) of working mothers and non-
The recent studies estimated that only about 50% of the working mothers in rural and urban areas of bhopal (m.p.)”.
emotional problems of the children are identified by their
primary physician or parents, 12-25% of all American AIM
school-age children and 13% preschoolers have The aim of the study is
emotional/behavioral disorders. The psychosocial problems “To assess the emotional Problems among Children (8-13
increased from 6.8% to 18.7%. Attention problems showed years) of working mothers and non- working mothers in
the greatest absolute increase (1.4%- 9.2%) and emotional rural and urban areas of Bhopal (M.P.)”.
problems showed the increase (0.2-3.6%). The percentage
of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity problems Objectives of the study
receiving medications increased from 32% to 78%. 1. To assess the emotional problems among children of
These increase in psychosocial problems were associated working mothers.
with increase in the proportions of single-parent families, 2. To assess the emotional problems among children of
parents get divorced, mothers employment and parent child non-working mothers.
relationship [3]. 3. To compare the emotional problems between the
At least 3% of school children suffer from serious emotional children of working mothers and non- working mothers.
disturbances, such as depression, suicidal thoughts, 4. To find the association between emotional problems
psychosis and serious attention problems. Attention deficits among children of working mothers and non-working
and hyperactivity is the most common behavioral disorder mothers and their selected demographic variables.
of childhood. The prevalence of attention deficits and
hyperactivity among pediatric out patients in New Delhi Research hypothesis
was 11.2%. Sarkar, Kapur and Kaliaperumal (India) H1-There will be a significant difference between the
reported a prevalence rate of psychological disturbance of emotional problems among children of working mothers and
10-54%in school going children of the age of group 8-13 non-working mothers.
years.
The psychological problems found to be in 44% of the Assumption
children. Anxiety related symptoms 67%, emotional  The study assume that
problems, particularly depression 62% and conduct 1. The emotional problems will be more among children
problems 49% were found. A big group of the population in of working mothers.
any city/country is that of students and the life of students is 2. The emotional problems will be comparatively less
becoming more and more stressful. Family is the nuclear of among children of non- working mothers.
all social groups because of its functional importance of the 3. There will be some difference among the occurrence of
child. It is where healthy habits are learnt by the child. emotional problems in children of working and non-
According to Tyrer and Tyrer (1974) absenteeism in the working mothers.
later years of schooling is predictive of depression in adult
hood [4]. Delimitations
American Academy of Paediatrics Division of Child Health The study is limited to the children with the age group of 8-
Research, the majority of paediatrician surveyed found that 13 years.
mothers should not work outside the home from their child’s
infancy to early school age. The connection of children with Conceptual frame work
their mothers at a young age will allow a close bond. This Theory can be developed using only conceptual approaches.
will make the communication between parent and child Conceptual frame work is deliberately formed from
easier especially during the middle school and high school experience and it conveys the human experiences of the
years. The attention and moral values the child receives will concept. Conceptual frame work is created by considering
help to guide the child in a positive direction as they get all three sources of experiences related to the concept the
older [5]. word; think it, and the associated feelings.
The effects of maternal employment on children have The same word may be used to represent more
negative action and positive action. Hence there is a need to phenomenon. The conceptual frame work of the present
study the difference in psychosocial problems of children of study was developed by using general model concepts of
working and non-working mothers. This will helps the input process and product.
working mothers to improve the care given towards their This study aimed at to assess the emotional problems among
children. This will also help them to concentrate on their children (8-13 years) of working mothers and non-working
emotional and behavioral characteristics. This intern reflects mothers in rural and urban areas of Bhopal.

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It is divided into three phases problem in children (8-13 years). In this their initial
1. Input knowledge will be assess by the based on structured
2. Process questionnaire.
3. Output  OUTPUT: Output is any information or material that is
transfer to the environment. In this study, output refers
 INPUT: It has been defined as any form of information to gain in knowledge to assess the emotional problems
and material that enters into the system through a among children (8-13 years) of working mothers and
boundary. In this study, it refers to emotional problem non-working mothers through the structured
among children of working mothers and non-working questionnaire.
mothers, demographic variables and existing emotional

Fig 1: Conceptual Framework Based on General System Model by Ludwing Von Bretan Laffy (1968)

Research methodology working mothers residing in rural and urban area of Bhopal
This study was conducted in urban and rural areas in city, selected by non probability purposive random sampling
Bhopal. Urban area which is situated in Navibagh and Rural technique by the investigator.
area which situated in Itkhedi. These working mothers and
non-working mothers were selected purposively for Inclusion criteria
geographical proximity, time constraint, and better 1. Children between the age group of 8-13 years.
cooperation from the subjects and authority. In this 2. Children whose mothers are alive.
comparative study was used. The sample comprised among 3. Children who are residing with mothers
children (8-13 years) of working mothers and non-working
mothers residing in urban and rural area of Bhopal city, who Exclusion criteria
fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The design was a comparative 1. Children who are orphan.
design to assess emotional problem among children (8-13 2. Children who are not willing to participate.
years) of working mothers and non-working mothers and 3. Children who are not available at the time of data
the association between emotional problem of working collection.
mothers and non-working mothers. In this study, the sample
size is 60 among them 30 belongs to children of working Results
mother and 30 belongs to children of non-working mothers (A.) Demographic variables
residing in rural and urban area of Bhopal city. In the The subject belongs to place of residency is 50.0% from
present study, eligible children of working mothers and non- rural and 50.0% from urban. Majority 60.0% of the children

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belongs to 8-10 years remaining 40.0% belongs to 11-13 on the same day. On the 7 day assessment of emotional
years. Majority of 53.3% subject belongs to nuclear family problem was conducted by administering the questionnaire.
and remaining 46.7% belongs to the joint family. Majority The data was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential
38.3% subject belongs to 6-7 members in their family, statistics. The result revealed that Differences mean of
30.0% belong to >7 members, 21.7% belongs to 4-5 working mothers score 12.2 was significantly higher than
members in their family and remaining 10.0% belongs to 2- the non-working mother score was 2.9 Thus structured
3 members in their family. Majority 40.0% subject questionnaire is effective to assess emotional problem.
educational status is graduate, 25.0% belongs to higher
secondary school, 20.0% belongs to high school, 10.0% Section-A
belongs to illiterate and remaining 5.0% belongs to primary Analysis of the selected socio demographic variables of the
school. Majority 50.0% occupational status of mother is respondents
housewife, 25.0% belongs to private worker and 25.0% This part deals with the data pertaining to the demographic
belongs to govt. worker. Majority 65.0% family income is profile of the respondent. The demographic data is analyzed
more than 5000/month, 20.0% belongs to less than using descriptive statistics.
5000/month, 15.0% belongs to 5000/month. Majority 66.7% The socio demographic data obtained from 30 children of
religion belongs to Hindu, 25.0% belongs to Muslim and working mothers and 30 children of non-working mothers
8.3% belongs to Christian and no one belongs to Sikh are analyzed using descriptive statistics and is presented in
religion. terms of frequency and percentage. The sample
characteristics include place of residency, age group of
(B.) Assessment of emotional problem among children of children, type of family, number of family member,
working mothers and non- working mothers education status of the mother, family income, mother
The emotional problem among children (8-13 years) of occupation and religion.
working mothers and non-working mothers through
structured questionnaire. Assessment of emotional problem Section – B
was conducted by using structure questionnaire was given

Table 1: Frequency and percentage distribution among children (8-13 years) of working mothers and non working mothers
Socio Demographic Data Frequency Percentage
Place
Rural 30 50.0
Urban 30 50.0
Age Group
8-10 Year 36 60.0
11-13 Year 24 40.0
Type of family
Joint 28 46.7
Nuclear 32 53.3
Total no. of family member
2-3 member 6 10.0
4-5 member 13 21.7
6-7 Member 23 38.3
More than 7 18 30.0
Educational status
Illiterate 6 10.0
Primary 3 5.0
High school 12 20.0
Higher secondary 15 25.0
Graduate 24 40.0
Occupational status
Housewife 30 50.0
Private 15 25.0
Government 15 25.0
Family income
Less than 5000/month 12 20.0
5000/Month 9 15.0
More than 5000/ Month 39 65.0
Religion
Christian 5 8.3
Hindu 40 66.7
Muslim 15 25.0

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Fig 2: Distribution of socio demographic variable among children

of working mothers and non-working mothers according to place Fig 6: Distribution of socio demographic variable among children
of residency. of working mothers and non-working mothers according to
educational status.

Fig 3: Distribution of socio demographic variable among children

of working mothers and non-working mothers according to age
group. Fig 7: Distribution of socio demographic variable among children
of working mothers and non-working mothers according to
occupational status.

Fig 4: Distribution of socio demographic variable among children Fig 8: Distribution of socio demographic variable among children
of working mothers and non-working mothers according to type of of working mothers and non-working mothers according to family
family. income.

Fig 5: Distribution of socio demographic variable among children Fig 9: Distribution of socio demographic variable among children
of working mothers and non-working mothers according to total of working mothers and non-working mothers according to
number of family members. religion.

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Section – C

Table 2: Association with socio demographic data with working mothers and non working mothers.
Socio Demographic Data Non-Working Mothers Working Mothers Chi Square Df P value
Place
Rural 0 30 60.000 1 .000*
Urban 30 0
Age Group
8-10 Year 6 30 40.000 1 .000*
11-13 Year 24 0
Type of family
Joint 28 0 52.500 1 .000*
Nuclear 2 30
Total no. of family member
2-3 member 0 6
4-5 member 0 13 37.043 3 .000*
6-7 Member 12 11
More than 7 18 0
Educational status
Graduate 24 0
High school 0 12 45.600 4 .000*
Higher secondary 6 9
Illiterate 0 6
Primary 0 3
Occupational status
Government 15 0
Housewife 0 30 60.000 2 .000*
Private 15 0
Family income
5000/Month 0 9
Less than 5000/month 0 12 32.308 2 .000*
More than 5000/ Month 30 9
Religion
Christian 5 0
Hindu 10 30 30.000 2 .000*
Muslim 15 0
*significant at P<0.05

Table 3: Comparison of working mothers and non-working Conclusion

mothers. Major finding of the study
Comparison Mean Std. Deviation T df P value (A.) Demographic variables
Working Mothers 12.2000 2.39643 25.875 14 .000* 1. The subject belongs to place of residency is 50.0% from
Non-Working Mothers 2.9333 3.17280 rural and 50.0% from urban.
*significant at P<0.05 2. Majority 60.0% of the children belongs to 8-10 years
remaining 40.0% belongs to 11-13 years.
3. Majority of 53.3% subject belongs to nuclear family
and remaining 46.7% belongs to the joint family.
4. Majority 38.3% subject belongs to 6-7 members in their
family, 30.0% belong to >7 members, 21.7% belongs to
4-5 members in their family and remaining 10.0%
belongs to 2-3 members in their family.
5. Majority 40.0% subject educational status is graduate,
25.0% belongs to higher secondary school, 20.0%
belongs to high school, 10.0% belongs to illiterate and
remaining 5.0% belongs to primary school.
Fig 10: Comparison of working mothers and non-working mothers 6. Majority 50.0% occupational status of mother is
housewife, 25.0% belongs to private worker and
The data depicted in table explain the emotional problem 25.0% belongs to govt. worker.
among children (8-13 years) of working mothers and non- 7. Majority 65.0% family income is more than
working mothers through structured questionnaire. 5000/month, 20.0% belongs to less than
Differences mean of working mothers score 12.2 was 5000/month, 15.0% belongs to 5000/month.
significantly higher than the non-working mother score was 8. Majority 66.7% religion belongs to Hindu, 25.0%
2.9. Thus structured questionnaire is effective to assess belongs to Muslim and 8.3% belongs to Christian and
emotional problem. no one belongs to Sikh religion.

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(B.) Assessment of emotional problem among children of adolescent children of employed mothers and home
working mothers and non- working mothers makers Journal of Indian Academy of applied
The emotional problem among children (8-13 years) of psychology, January. 2007; 33:103-110.
working mothers and non-working mothers through 11. Parul Datta. Pediatric Nursing New Delhi, Jaypee
structured questionnaire. Differences mean of working publication, 2007, pp. 1.
mothers score 12.2 was significantly higher than the non- 12. Kelley J Khelleher et al. Increasing identification of
working mothers score was 2.9. Thus structured psychological problem official journal of the American
questionnaire is effective to assess emotional problem. academy of pediatrics, Vol-105-2006.
Assessment of knowledge regarding emotional problem 13. Sailaxmi Gandhi Reddemmark. Concentration
among children (8-13 years) of working mothers and non enhancement for hyperactive children Nightangal
working mothers. Nursing Times, 2005, pp. 34.
This will help to assess the emotional problem among 14. American Academy of Pediatrics. Pediatric survey of
children of working mothers and non- working mothers. follows, Division of child health research, 2004.
According to the result of study, majority of the emotional 15. Moatz M et al. Emotional and behavioral problems
problem among children of working mothers was higher among male Saudi school children and adolescents
than the children of non-working mothers. Hence the prevalence and risk factors German Journals of
structured questionnaire among children of working mothers Psychiatry, 2004. www.gipsy.uni-goettingen.de
was higher than the children of non-working mothers
facilitated to assess more about emotional problem which is
evidenced in the mean score.
After the structure questionnaire, the result shows that there
is a significant difference in the emotional problem among
children of working mothers and non-working mothers.
Thus it is concluded that the emotional problem is high
among children of working mothers than the non-working
mothers.

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