Die verband tussen moeders se beroepsbetrokkenheid en die psigologiese welstand van hul kinders

English: The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of the employment of the mother on the psychological well-being of her child. This was conducted by researching the difference between children of mothers who work and those who do not work, on various levels of the child's functioning, namely: intrapersonal adjustment, interpersonal functioning, stress management, adaptability, general mood, school functioning and family involvement. The shifting of emphasis to positive psychology gave rise to various concepts such as salutogenesis (origin of health), fortigenesis (origin of strengths) and psychofortology (science of psychological strengths). The construct psychological well-being is discussed, with special focus on the components of which it consists and how this relates to emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence, the most important theories on emotional intelligence and factors that can promote (protective factors) or impede (risk factors) this construct were researched. The employment of the mother, reasons for this and the impact thereof on her child as well as herself are discussed. Other factors which may influence the impact of the employment of the mother on her child, namely alternative care (nursery schools/day mothers), and the marital status of the mother were also discussed. The research group consisted of 153 grade 1 learners from three Bloemfontein schools, their mothers and their teachers. The non-recurring cross-section method was used in the execution of this investigation. No experimental intervention was present and the respondents were also not randomly assigned to groups. The criterion group design was used. The children completed the BarOn Emotional Quotient inventory: Youth Version (BarOn EQ-I:YV). The mothers completed a biographical questionnaire as well as the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS). The teachers completed the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS). Favourable reliability indices were reported by Cronbach's coefficient alphas. Based on the statistical processing of the data no significant statistical differences with regard to intrapersonal adjustment, interpersonal functioning, stress management, adaptability, general mood, school functioning and family involvement were found between the children of working mothers and those of non-working mothers. These findings are contrary to previous research findings. Possible explanations for the results are given, shortcomings and recommendations for further research are presented.