Mother's Involvement with Infant and Her Perception of Spousal Support, Japan and America

This study investigates the differences between Japanese and American mothers' perceptions of support from their husbands, and the relationship between these perceptions and the mothers' involvement with their infants. Thirty American and 52 Japanese motherinfant dyads (in which the babies were 3 to 4 months old) were observed in the home through the use of a time-sampling technique and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory (HOME), and the mothers rated their perceptions of support from their husbands on a 16-item inventory. Significant differences were found between the two cultures for the mother's perceptions of support from the husband and the infant's early home environment. Data on the mother's perception of support from the husband and the mother's involvement with the infant obtained from the time-sampling technique and the HOME scores yielded several significant correlations. The findings highlight differences in the cultural context of family life in the two societies.