Significance of Social Support in Mothers' Communities Created through the Child-rearing Process

This study examined mothers' communities created through the childrearing process and the significance of available social support in these communities.Qualitative analysis using grounded theory was performed to analyze the surveys conducted from September 2013 to July 2014 on 24 mothers with young children between the ages of one to four years.Six categories were created for mothers' child-rearing communities and five categories were established for social support.Mothers' communities included people of various generations who mothers meet because of their children; acquaintances they socialize with at only one particular place; friends with whom they share everyday child-rearing experiences; public sector staff who provide support for exchanges amongst mothers; parents-in-law who support their grandchildren; and husbands, who are understanding of their wives' exchanges with others.Social support categories included a sense that "the way I approach child-rearing is appropriate," personal child-rearing motivation arising from empathy, a sense of belonging to one's local community, broadening interest in social issues related to child-rearing, and sharing the child-rearing burden amongst relatives.The results of this study are expected to provide useful materials for understanding modern day child-rearing in order to consider the creation of mechanisms for community-based child-rearing support.