The Relationship between the “Personal-self ” and the Stress of Child Care in Women:

Examining the Gap between the Ideal and Reality

Abstract

　　Women who are caring for children are thought to value their “personal-self ”. In addition, many women are believed to experience stress during childcare.

　　This study sought to first ascertain the “personal-self ” of women caring for children and second to examine the relationship between the stress of childcare and the gap between the ideal and actual “personal-self ”. In total, 501 women who are caring for children were surveyed by questionnaire. Factor analysis identified 3 factors for the “personal-self ” namely “social participation”, “physical and psychological time”, and “one’s relationship with one’s husband”. Results in terms of “social participation” and “physical and psychological time” indicated it that having a career and gaining experience caring for a child reduced the gap between reality and the ideal. However, results in terms of “physical and psychological time” indicated that environmental changes have little impact on that gap. Moreover, a large gap between the ideal and reality in terms of “physical and psychological time” was found to lead to greater stress of childcare. Thus, support to help reduce the gap between the ideal and reality in terms of “physical and psychological time” is crucial to reducing the stress of childcare.