Conflicts, satisfactions, and attitudes during transition to the maternal role

A correlational descriptive study of 86 first-time mothers examined the relationships among employment status, role conflict, marital satisfaction, employment role attitude, and ease of transition to the maternal role. Interview and questionnaire data were collected 5 to 18 months after the birth of the first child. No significant differences were observed between employed and unemployed mothers in relation to role conflict. Mothers with careers tended to experience more role conflict between their worker, self, and spouse roles than mothers with jobs. Mothers who experienced more role conflict, regardless of their work status, had more difficulty in making the transition to the maternal role. Marital satisfaction was found to be positively correlated with ease of transition to the maternal role. No significant correlation was observed between employment role attitude and ease of transition to the maternal role. Mothers who reported a more positive attitude toward employment reported significantly less conflict between spouse and parent roles. Mothers who had attended a parent support group, regardless of their work status, experienced more conflict between the parent and self roles; these mothers also tended to have greater difficulty in making the transition to the maternal role.