The parents of three-year-old children who visited a health center for health check-up at M city in one of the most southern islands of Japan in 1984 and 2006 were interviewed for their child-rearing behavior and related factors. The major results were as follows.
1. In 2006, significantly more parents gave “intellectual and verbal stimulation”, utilized nursery schools and made joint decisions concerning night care and child-rearing policy with their partners than in 1984.
2. There was no significant difference between the two years in the ratio of parents who gave physical punishments to their children and/or disciplined them by limiting their behavior. However, ratio of single parents increased from 3.2% in 1984 to 14.6% in 2006, which suggests a qualitative change of child-rearing behavior in two decades.
3. The ratio of the parents who said that they had no expectation for children was 32.9% in 2006 as compared with 22.6% in 1984. That of those who, although they expressed expectations for the children, actually did nothing for that effects, was 29.1% in 2006 compared with 52.1% in 1984.
4. The length of education of mothers and the ratio of mothers who came from outside M city were significantly higher in 2006 than in 1984.
5. Changing child-rearing behavior during 2 decades in M city was discussed in relation with the neglect, a type of child maltreatment.
From these results, it is suggested that child-rearing behavior is associated with factors concerning mothers' social background. Also, the change from traditional to modern community is influencing parents' attitude and child-rearing behavior, which may result in a higher ratio of a new type of the child neglect in child maltreatment.. These results suggest the needs of a positive approach to family and community to enhance the quality of children's health and development as a new strategy for the prevention of child maltreatment.
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