Child Abuse Prevention in Japan: An Approach to Screening and Intervention with Mothers

Abstract

The number of reported child abuse cases is on the increase in Japan. This report describes the testing of an approach to prevention based on a key question: "Do you find any of your children irritating?" The study employed a focus group and a survey. The focus group consisted of 13 mothers who had been severely abusive to their children and were undergoing individual psychotherapy in Tokyo. The survey included 1,538 mothers living with at least one child less than 6 years of age in metropolitan Tokyo. The survey questionnaire asked about mothers' attitudes toward their children and about details and frequency of possibly abusive behavior for their children. All 13 mothers of the focus group reported the experience of feeling their children irritating. They talked extensively and provided many details of their feelings. Of the survey mothers, 3.6% reported feeling their children irritating and showed high scores of abusive behavior. There was a difference in attribution of source of the irritation between these mothers and focus-group mothers. We conclude that the question on irritability is effective in eliciting mothers' feelings and behavior, especially for providing public health nurses with an opportunity for intervention in child abuse.

Characteristics and related factors of Japanese mothers who have faced difficulties with childrearing

“…Therefore, identifying the mothers of yoshien jido who have difficulties with child care, and supporting them from the neonatal period by assessing the potential reasons behind their difficulties should further contribute toward developing their parenting skills. A previous study showed that the question: “Do you find any of your children irritating?” was helpful to identify abusive mothers; however, this study did not focus on their difficulties with childrearing (Kayama et al., ). Although mothers understand that children are not perfect, often do not act as expected, and develop at their own pace, they still feel difficulties with adjusting their life to accommodate their children (Yang et al., ).…”

“…A previous study showed that the question: "Do you find any of your children irritating?" was helpful to identify abusive mothers; however, this study did not focus on their difficulties with childrearing (Kayama et al, 2004). Although mothers understand that children are not perfect, often do not act as expected, and develop at their own pace, they still feel difficulties with adjusting their life to accommodate their children (Yang et al, 2007).…”

“…Clarifying the characteristics of mothers who may require support with childrearing would contribute to the prevention of child maltreatment, by providing more effective care for them (Kayama, Sagami, Watanabe, Senoo, & Ohara, 2004). Most previous studies focused on the characteristics of mothers who abused their children, which included a history of maltreatment during childhood (Keenan et al, 2003), young age (Hovdestad, Shields, Williams, & Tonmyr, 2015;Putnam-Hornstein, Cederbaum, King, Eastman, & Trickett, 2015;Yamaoka et al, 2015), social isolation (Berlin, Appleyard, & Dodge, 2011;Kusano et al, 2010), and low income (Eckenrode, Smith, McCarthy, & Dineen, 2014).…”

Child‐rearing Anxiety and Its Correlates Among Japanese Mothers Screened at 18‐Month Infant Health Checkups

“…As the health checkups are mainly provided by public health nurses, it provides an opportunity to find mothers who need ongoing support by public health nurses in the region. However, there has not been a nationally standardized screening scale established in Japan (Kayama, Sagami, Watanabe, Senoo, & Ohara, 2004), and each organization uses its own questionnaire. The screening questionnaires used in each organization have similar content, such as child development, health status of the child, mothers' worries about the child, childcare satisfaction, and the presence of social support (Arakida et al, 2003).…”

“…The screening questionnaires used in each organization have similar content, such as child development, health status of the child, mothers' worries about the child, childcare satisfaction, and the presence of social support (Arakida et al, 2003). Public health nurses are responsible for the prevention of health-associated problems (Kayama et al, 2004).…”