A Study On The Self-Concept Characteristics Of Mothers Of Preschool Children With Special Needs

In Chinese culture,it has been said since ancient times that ’mother-child affinity’,the blood relationship between mother and child is thicker than water.Therefore,giving individuals a new understanding of themselves and thus enriching their self-concept after becoming mothers.However,as the primary caregiver of children with special needs,mothers of children with special needs are often trapped in their role as mothers and have to give up their life plans,careers and free time to care for their children,gradually being marginalized by society.At the same time,due to the specificity and complexity of their child’s illness,mothers of children with special needs face more difficulties than ordinary mothers in caring for their children,making them feel less competent in their role as mothers and creating greater parental pressure.These changes in motherhood constantly impact on the self-concept of mothers of children with special needs,which is at the core of the individual’s personality structure and influences all aspects of the individual’s cognition,emotions and behaviour.Research has found a direct link between emotional problems such as depression and anxiety and an individual’s self-concept.Mothers’ self-concept can also have an intergenerational impact on the rehabilitation and development of children with special needs by influencing their parenting style.Therefore,the positive and stable self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs is an important basis for the mental health of mothers of children with special needs and the family education of children with special needs,and it is important to understand the self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs.Accordingly,the following studies were carried out.(1)In order to initially clarify the structure and content of the self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs,a survey was conducted to investigate the current situation of the self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs.Specifically,the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale was used as a tool to understand the content,structure and general self-concept characteristics of mothers of preschool children with special needs.The results of the study revealed that the content of self-concept was significantly lower in the three domains of social self-concept,familyself-concept and moral self-concept;the structure of self-concept was significantly lower in the areas of self-satisfaction,self-awareness and self-action;and the overall self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs was more negative.The results of Study 1 provide a basis for understanding the self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs and provide specific directions for future interventions on the self-concept of this group.(2)The self is unique to the individual in that individuals are better able to process information related to the self than non-self information.Therefore,Study 2 used a self-referential paradigm to explore the level of self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs,i.e.the extent to which they had lost their selves.It was found that there was a self-referential effect in mothers of preschool special needs children,that they processed self-related information significantly better than non-self information,and that there was no significant difference in the self-referential effect between mothers of preschool special needs children and mothers of ordinary children.The results of Study 2 suggest that the self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs is generally normal,and although no significant differences were found,the study of the self-referential effect in this group could be useful for early screening and prevention of cognitive disorders.(3)Individual self-concept is social in nature and can be influenced by significant others around them;children can influence their mothers’ self-concept.Therefore,Study3 used the R/K paradigm to understand the influence of children on the self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs.Subjects were asked to process information about the child,information about the self,and information about others in general.The results revealed that in the group of mothers of general children,self-related information was processed best and the self remained the most important position.In the group of preschool mothers of children with special needs,on the other hand,there was no significant difference between self-related and child-related information,suggesting that the self-concept of preschool mothers of children with special needs is more influenced by their children and that preschool mothers of children with special needs include their children more in their selves.The results of Study 3 highlight the important influence of preschool exceptional children on their mothers’ self-concept.In summary,the study explored the specific characteristics of the self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs(Study 1)and verified the uniqueness and social nature of the self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs by comparing the differences between the self and non-self(Study 2)and the self and child(Study 3),and gained some insight into different aspects of the self-concept of mothers of children with special needs.It was found that the self-concept of mothers of preschool children with special needs is more negative and more influenced by their children,and that helping mothers of preschool children with special needs to adapt to their identity can contribute to the mental health of the mother and the rehabilitation of the child.