2023 Volume 19 Issue 2 Pages 78-85
Japanese mothers with children ranging in age from 1 to 10 years old participated in an online study to examine the frequency of children getting lost while out with their parents, the locations where lost children often occur, the sequence in which they occur, and the child's reaction when they reunite with their parents. Results showed that the percentage of lost children appearing at age 1 increased from 4.3% to 10.6% at age 2, and remained around 10% until age 5, after which it dropped to 1.9% at age 6. Multiple correspondence analysis revealed three main phases of lost children (1-2, 3-5, 6 and older): (1) the child is lost when the parents take their eyes off the child, (2) the child is distracted by surrounding objects while the parent and child move apart from each other, the distance increases, and thus the child is lost, and (3) the parent and child do not reunite successfully as a result of their separate activities. It was discussed that lost children are a unique phenomenon in Japan, which is highly safe and secure, and that it is an intriguing topic related to the surrounding physical environment and parent-child mutual independence.
