A few previous studies have found that parental divorce has a positive mental impact on children, i.e. it enhances their independence and sociality, but numerous other studies have found that children who have experienced their parents' divorce tend to display emotional instability and maladjustment and that those children need psychological support.

　　One aim of the current study was to determine if the process of parental divorce leads to a child's emotional suffering or maladjustment. Another aim of this study was to ascertain the factors that sustain or restore mental health in those children. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 youth from divorced families and transcripts of those interviews were qualitatively analyzed.

　　Results revealed that all of the children were distressed during the divorce as they displayed concern for and loyalty to their parents. In typical cases where the negative impacts of divorce worsened, a vicious downward spiral ensured. Parents failed to acknowledge the anguish suffered by and loyalty displayed by their children. Instead, children's concerns and loyalties were taken advantage of and exploited by parents with “destructive entitlement.” Those children tended to blame themselves, lose trust in others and the world around them, feel isolated and withdraw into themselves, and suppress their own “narratives” of their experiences.

　　When parents instead acknowledged the concern and loyalty displayed by their children, the children remained able to trust in others and the world around them. With support from the people they routinely interacted with and various activities, children were able to “de-center” themselves (i.e. putting psychological distance between themselves and their parents' divorce) without dwelling on their worries and anguish.

　　Through this series of experiences, children will be able to overcome their parents' divorce, become more independent and social, and lead a fulfilling life.

　　This study investigated expected and actual parenting styles. Expected and actual parenting styles were ascertained using the parenting theory developed by Baumrind (1991, 1996).

　　Five hundred and thirty-six junior high school students were surveyed regarding parenting by their mothers. Expected and actual parenting styles were discerned using the Two-Dimensional Parenting Questionnaire-Child version and the Two-Dimensional Expected Parenting Questionnaire-Child version. In addition, depression, anxiety, and self-esteem were examined as adaptations.

　　Results indicated that the questionnaires had a consistent structure consisting of demandingness and responsiveness, and this finding was true for both expected and actual parenting styles. Moreover, results revealed different patterns of expected and actual parenting styles, i.e. five patterns of responsiveness and four patterns of demandingness. In addition, high responsiveness in expected parenting and high responsiveness in actual parenting (high-high) and low responsiveness in expected parenting and high responsiveness in actual parenting (low-high) resulted in decreased depression and anxiety and increased self-esteem. High demandingness in expected parenting and high responsiveness in actual parenting (high-high) also resulted in decreased depression and anxiety and increased self-esteem.

　　Previous studies have revealed that stepchildren experience complex emotions regarding their stepfathers. Moreover, the relationship between stepchildren and stepfathers may be related to the relationship between children and their biological mothers and the relationship between children and their nonresident biological fathers. However, the relationship between stepchildren and stepfathers has not been sufficiently examined in Japan.

　　This study examined why stepchildren have complex feelings regarding their stepfathers, taking into account the children's views of their biological mother, nonresident biological father, and the family. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three adolescents, and the interview transcripts were analyzed using the KJ method.

　　Results revealed that the stepchildren viewed their stepfathers from three points of view: in comparison to their nonresident biological fathers, in comparison to their biological mothers, and the stepfather as a member of the family. In cases where the children had a strong sense that their nonresident biological fathers were their “fathers,” they felt psychologically distant from their stepfathers. Similarly, having considerable trust in one’s biological mother was related to a sense of psychological distance from one's stepfather. In addition, a perceived closeness of the family led to positive feelings towards one's stepfather. In conclusion, perceptions of one’s biological mother, perceptions of one's nonresident biological father, and perceptions of the family can affect how adolescents perceive the quality of their relationship with their stepfathers. This finding was discussed in terms of the gap between culture and children’s perceptions and feelings.

　　The current study conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 Japanese and 10 South Korean middle-aged married women to ascertain how different cultural construals of the self and views on the modern family affect incidents of martial conflict. This study also ascertained the intent behind the conflict resolution strategies those women adopted. Results revealed that conflicts arose in different contexts. In Japan, conflict arose around role-sharing as part of cohabitation and following rules. In South Korea, conflicts arose around a need for marital cohesiveness achieved through shared meaning or values. Differences in the intent behind conflict resolution strategies (e.g. “asserting” “avoiding,” “compromising,” and “yielding” ) that were adopted were also evident. Japanese wives who adopted either a strategy with a high level of other-orientation or a high level of self-concern adopted an “asserting” strategy that ascribed their negative feelings to their spouse or a “yielding” strategy that ascribed their negative feelings to themselves in order to maintain their marital relationships. Some Japanese wives adopted a “compromising” strategy. When their opinions differed with those of their spouses, Japanese wives withdrew in order to get on their spouse's good side and increase the likelihood that their opinion would be listened to. In contrast, South Korean wives perceived their own feelings first and asserted themselves when interacting with their spouses.

　　South Korean wives adopted a “yielding” strategy when third parties were involved, i.e. wives were cognizant of children's views of their father. These findings indicated that one's role in the family and one's personal views on the family affected the strategies that Japanese wives adopted during marital conflicts while one's emotions and Confucian views of the family stressing cohesiveness affected the strategies that South Korean wives adopted during marital conflicts. Results also suggested that Japanese and South Korean wives adopted a certain strategy during conflicts. Japanese wives adopted a “compromising” strategy while South Korean wives adopted a “yielding” strategy in light of their children.