乳幼児期の発達と地域の特性

―発達スクリーニングとの関連から―

抄録

Cross-cultural or geographical differences in child development have been reported (Brazelton et al. 1969, Super 1976), and the development of pre-school children of different social and ethnic groups has been discussed in relation to developmental screening (Frankenburg et al. 1975, Ueda 1977). In Japan, where the population is highly homogeneous in racial background, racioethnic factors are considered to be less important in child development than geographical factors. Our previous studies (Ueda 1976, 1978) revealed that there were differences in child development and patterns of child rearing between Tokyo and Okinawa, the southernmost part of Japan. Ecological and socio-cultural factors which may contribute to these differences were discussed, as were the implications of the results for developmental screening. The purpose of the present study is to complete this line of studies by collecting data on child development in a northern part of Japan and comparing the results with those in Tokyo and Okinawa. By doing so, the author intended to determine the applicability of developmental screening tests on populations in different geographical areas, and to explore the impacts of the environment upon human development. Iwate, the northern part of Japan was chosen and compared with Tokyo, a large metropolitan area in the central part of Japan and Okinawa. The Denver Developmental Screening Test, partly modified as in the previous study in Tokyo (Ueda, 1978) was used to assess the development of children aged between 16 days and 6 years. The sample consisted of 564 normal Iwate children and the 1171 normal Tokyo children who were the sample for the standardization of the DDST in Tokyo and 775 normal Okinawa children. All items of the DDST were compared both statistically acid clinically for the three samples. Differences were found on some items among two and/or three samples and were classified into four groups; 1) items related to urbanization, 2) items related to climate, 3) items related to culture, and 4) items related to body balance. Unless these differences are kept in mind when administering developmental screening test, there will be risks of false negative as well as false positive. But if the DDST is administered with caution and some modifications are made on the norms of some items, it will be applicable and highly valuable in rural areas such as Iwate and Okinawa as well as in urban areas as Tokyo.