가족센터 적용을 위한 4∼12개월 영아기 양육자-자녀관계검진 프로그램 개발 연구

Abstract

The current government support for families with infants centers around financial aid and physical health checkups. This study aims to extend these narrow approaches by developing a new type of checkup that focuses on the relationship between caregivers and infants, as well as the entire family system. Based on various theoretical perspectives, including family systems theory, attachment theory, and cognitive-behavioral theory, the online caregiver-child relationship checkup, which consists of assessment and feedback sessions, was conducted using multiple methods (self-report questionnaires, observations of parent-child play interactions, and clinical interviews). Four families with infants aged 4 to 12 months participated in this study. A single-case research design, specifically a multiple baselines design, was employed. The results from 7 to 9 assessment points over 4 months showed that the relationship checkup improved multiple outcome indices, including the understanding of parental strengths and weaknesses, knowledge of relationship improvement, co-parenting relationships, parental stress, and parent-child relationships. Additionally, participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the program and a strong intention to recommend it. Qualitative interviews indicated that they received reliable guidance from their family consultant amidst the abundant information provided by pseudo-experts on social networking sites (SNS). Coaching while reviewing videos of parent-child interactions was also considered effective in terms of improving their parental competence. Implications for practice and policy were also discussed.