PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics and the related factors of attachment-oriented caretaking behavior in mothers who are breast-feeding their infants.
METHOD
The subjects were 155 mothers who participated in a healthy breast-feeding contest in the Busan area. The data were collected from September 24, 2003, and were analyzed using SPSS WIN 10.0.
RESULTS
The mothers were highly affirmative in their attachment-oriented caretaking behaviors (total mean 2.59+/-.502 of a possible score of 3). Among the attachment-oriented caretaking behaviors (10 items), the scores for 6 items were higher than the average score and 4 items were lower than the average score. There were significant differences in the attachment-oriented caretaking behaviors according to level of education (p<0.05), and planned duration of breast-feeding (p<0.001). Mothers with university education who planned to breast-feed as long as the baby wanted had higher scores.
CONCLUSIONS
The above results suggest that nursing interventions which are individualized and practical are needed to encourage the attachment-oriented caretaking behaviors essential to breast-feeding mothers.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the concept of caretaking behavior for children. This study adopts the methode of Walker and Avant in analysis. Based on the results of the study, the attributes, precedents, and consequences of caretaking behavior for children are follows ; 1.The affirmative attributes of caretaking behavior are affection binding, nutritional guidance, education, caring, protection moral training and acquisition of parents' role. The negative attributes of caretaking behavior are inconsistent moral training, incapability of affection binding and overprotection. 2. The precedent of caretaking behavior are postpartum contact with their babies, cognizance capacity of child-caretaking, economic support, level of preparation for child-caretaking and self-consciousness as parents. 3. The affirmative consequences of caretaking behavior are promotion of child growth and development, formation of maternal-infantile attachment, development of children sociality, satisfaction of parental role and reinforcement of relationship between the members of family. The negative consequences of caretaking behavior are burden and conflict to parental role, children's illness, role conflict and role stress among the members of the family and family breaking up.