本研究目的在於瞭解母親對於手足衝突的認知與處理方式，並探討二者之間的關聯，以及比較不同年齡手足母親對手足衝突之處理方式的差異。母親對手足衝突的認知分為「正向」與「負向」影響；對手足衝突的處理方式則分為「正向介入」、「負向介入」、「被動不介入」與「主動不介入」。共計有277 位居住大台北地區，家中有兩個孩子（3~13 歲）且手足年齡差距三歲以內的母親參與問卷調查。並依孩子年齡分為「高年齡」（129）與「低年齡」（148）兩組；其中有六位母親在之後接受半結構式訪談。研究結果如下： 一、兩組母親皆傾向認為手足衝突對孩子具有「正向影響」。 二、兩組母親在處理手足衝突時，較常使用「正向介入」及「負向介入」的處理方式，最少使用「被動不介入」的處理方式。 三、母親對於手足衝突具有「正向影響」的認知與「主動不介入」的處理方式呈現低度正相關；「負向影響」的認知與「負向介入」的處理方式呈現低度正相關。 四、高年齡組和低年齡組母親對於四種處理手足衝突方式的使用有些許的差異。

This study examined the association between maternal perceptions and reactions towards the sibling conflicts. It also compared mothers’ reactions from two sibling age groups. How mothers view sibling conflicts included positive and negative influences. Maternal reactions to three conflict situations (quarrel, fighting and grabbing) were: positive intervention, negative intervention, passive nonintervention and active nonintervention. Two hundred and seventy seven mothers with two children aged 3 to 13 participated the questionnaire survey, and 6 mothers were interviewed afterward. These mothers included two groups: one was mothers with older sibling dyads (siblings were 8-to-13 years old); the other one was mothers with younger sibling dyads (siblings were 3- to- 8 years old). Results were as follows: 1. Mothers from both groups tended to hold the idea that sibling conflicts have positive influence to their children. 2. In three conflict situations, mothers were most likely to use both positive and negative intervention and the least used passive nonintervention. 3. Maternal perceptions of “positive influence” was positive correlated to “active nonintervention”. Maternal perceptions of “negative influence” was positive correlated to “negative intervention”. 4. The frequencies of mothers’ four kinds of reactions revealed only little differences in two groups. Mothers from both groups were most likely to use intervention (no matter positive and negative) and the least used passive nonintervention.