Boundaries of Parental Discipline: A Cross-cultural Interview Study of Mothers in the UK and Japan

Abstract

This study examines how mothers of preschool children in Japan and the UK distinguish “appropriate” and “inappropriate” parental disciplines, in terms of parental strategies to manage children’s behavior. This is a qualitative, cross-country, interpretive study employing semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 21 mothers (nine in Japan, twelve in the UK). Thematic analysis was used to interpret accounts of everyday parenting practices, challenges, and reflections on moments where application of appropriate discipline was challenging. Two overarching themes were constructed: “Regrettable discipline” and “Parenting goals and mothers’ values.” Across both themes, maternal frustration in response to children’s behavior was the primary trigger for harsh disciplinary practices, with excessiveness typically recognized through children’s unusual reactions. In this small sample, remarks of the UK participants seemed to underline household rules and family quality time, whereas an emphasis for the Japanese sample seemed to be on the impact of socio-cultural expectations and maternal self-sacrifice. Physical punishment appeared to be discussed more openly by Japanese participants than by the UK participants. This study reaffirms that harsh discipline stems from maternal stress and loss of emotional control. Implications of the finding might include the possibility that legal prohibition may be insufficient on its own to reduce harsh discipline. Further future directions were discussed to extend the current small-scale study, including avenues to support the legal system, such as stress reduction and support for parents.