2024 Volume 63 Pages 194-206
The purposes of this review were to reveal trends in research about child-rearing support practice and to suggest future perspectives of studies in Japan. Approximately 30 years have passed since the inception of parenting support practices, and these practices have become more sophisticated over time. This paper provides an overview of how child-rearing support has been positioned in childcare settings, and then reviews research trends, focusing on papers published in the last 10 years. With the enhancement of child-rearing support, the range of support content has expanded, and there has been an increasing psychological approach. In this paper, based on issues identified in practice, we examined four topics: (a) research on support providers, (b) research from the perspective of users, (c) research focusing on changes in ecological environments, and (d) research on contemporary issues in parenting and child development. Additionally, we discuss the outcomes and challenges of these studies and deliberate on the potential contributions of psychological research to future parenting support.
