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Child-rearing Experiences of Mothers in Island Communities: Two Case Studies

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R. Sakakibara, I. Kiryuu, T. Nakajima, and T. Morita 1
1 School of Nursing, Dokkyo Medical University, Japan

Background: Japan includes more than 400 inhabited islands. Although island geographical features
have been observed to make transportation inconvenient and are associated with inadequate
educational, medical, and welfare systems, it has been noted that a strong sense of closeness
persists among relatives and neighbors. These islands may thus preserve cultures that influence
mothers’ child-rearing experiences. To date, few studies of mothers’ child-rearing experiences have
been conducted specifically within Japan’s island communities.

Objective: To examine the local child-rearing support system, this study explored the child-rearing
experiences of mothers in island communities.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with
two mothers raising children in island city A. Mothers were interviewed about their child-rearing
experiences in island communities. The data were analyzed qualitatively and inductively.

Results: A total of 131 codes were extracted from mothers’ child-rearing experiences in island communities,
which were classified into 64 subcategories, 32 categories, and nine core categories. The nine core
categories included: “child-rearing support by relatives,” “daily support by local neighbors,”
“mother-to-mother bonding,” “satisfaction with the child-rearing environment,” “self-help for child-rearing
problems,” “lack of social resources,” “difficulties in child-rearing,” “desire for privacy protection,” and
“child-rearing support not meeting needs.”

Conclusion: These results indicate that mothers in island communities experience various child-rearing
difficulties and self-address some of these challenges. In addition, while these studies reveal a lack of
Poster Presentation Abstracts
social resources and privacy protection needs unique to island communities, mothers raising children on
the islands report a satisfactory child-rearing environment with the support of relatives, neighbors, and
other mothers.

Keywords: social support, child rearing, mothers, communities, islands

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Correspondence: Rieko Sakakibara, School of Nursing, Dokkyo Medical University, Japan
E-mail: r-sakakibara@dokkyomed.ac.jp

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