TITLE:
Parenting Stress of Chinese Mothers Living and Child-Rearing in Japan and Related Factors
AUTHORS:
Rie Wakimizu, Tong Wang
KEYWORDS:
Parenting Stress, Chinese Mothers in Japan
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.12 No.2,
February
28,
2022
ABSTRACT: Background: Parenting stress causes physical and psychological problems for mothers during child-rearing and negatively impacts the growth and development of their children. We assumed that Chinese mothers living in Japan would experience particularly high levels of parenting stress and difficulty because they had to leave the environment in which they were born and raised in a different language and culture. Objective: The objective is to identify the actual situation and related factors of parenting stress among Chinese mothers in Japan. Methods: From July to October 2021, an online, anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was administered to the mothers of children aged 6 months to 5 years, and the data from 93 mothers were statistically analyzed. Results: Mothers in the study had one (45.2%) or two (45.2%) children in their care, and 23.7% of the mothers’ husbands were Japanese. The average score of total PSI-SF-15 of the mothers in this study was slightly higher than that of mothers raising children in China. Additionally, “I think it is a shame not to practice Chinese customs”, “I feel that Chinese customs are not respected”, “the number of children with diagnosed diseases”, “Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) total score” and “father’s nationality” influenced the parenting stress of the mothers in this study. Conclusion: In order to reduce parenting stress among Chinese mothers in Japan, it is necessary to respect and support the practice of Chinese customs, create an environment in which it is easy to discuss children’s illnesses, and educate mothers to promote the use of social support.