1. Purpose of the study

Coparenting refers to the ways in which parents work together as parents. ‘CopaGloba Learning to coparent’ consortium study will combine three perspectives – family, community and culture – to fully understand the complex developmental and learning processes and possible drivers and barriers in constructing coparenting during the transition to parenthood.

This study will contribute new knowledge on the construction of coparenting. A cross-national comparison will reveal how coparenting within families is shaped by welfare policies, family service provision and cultural expectations and norms. The study will also deepen knowledge about the roles of professionals and peer support in the promotion of coparenting. The study is conducted by Toyo University in Japan collaborating with the consortium of the University of Jyväskylä and JAMK University of Applied Sciences in close collaboration with the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) from Finland and the University of Port in Portugal.

2. Research methods and time frames

The following data sets will be collected: longitudinal interview data of Japanese, Finnish and Portuguese parents (collected twice: late pregnancy, child 1.5 years), longitudinal mobile diary data of Finnish parents (collected twice: child 4–6 months, child 1.5 years) and focus-group interview data of Finnish professionals and parents in community-based family centres.

In Japan, we will interview you for approximately 45-60 minutes (twice: late pregnancy, child 1.5 years) after you have signed the consent form. The interviews will be recorded, transcribed (with de-identification procedure) and analysed. You will also be asked to complete a separate questionnaire after the interviews.

The study period is planned to last until September 2023.

3. Reasons for being selected as a research participant

This study is open to couples who are going to have a baby (one to three months before giving birth) at the time of the first interview.

Both partners of the couple will be interviewed simultaneously, and without any prior discussion. Participants can choose the method from either a face-to-face interview or an online interview. The face-to-face interview will be conducted at a designated location near Tokyo based on the participant’s request. The online interview is available for the participant regardless of location.

4. Withdrawal and decline from the study

You can decide on your own whether to participate or not. You can also decline after listening to the explanation of this study. Please notify the principal investigator or your interviewer of your decision to decline or withdraw from the study either orally or by email. You will not be disadvantaged in any way if you decline or withdraw from the study after you have decided to participate. You can also withdraw from this study at any time during the interview. Please inform us whether you would like the data collected up to that point in the interview to be analysed or permanently deleted and we will process the data accordingly. Unless directed by Nothe interviewee, any data of the withdrawn or declined interview will be destroyed and erased with the utmost care to ensure that no personal information is disclosed. If either participant is unable to continue to cooperate with the study, the interview and its data analysis will be terminated.

5. Expected benefits of participating in the research

You will not directly benefit from participating in this study. It will provide insights into how a family's co-parenting is formed in Japan, and comparing the results with those of other countries will advance our understanding of how social security systems, welfare and family support systems, and cultural norms affect co-parenting. It is expected that the results of the study will contribute to society by promoting policy formation and changes in cultural norms that will help to construct good co-parenting.

6. Predicted risks, unpleasant conditions and effects on the body and mind

There is no physical risk involved in taking part in this study. However, as the interview progresses, painful experiences in the past or present may be brought up. If you find it difficult to talk, or if you are asked questions about something you do not want to talk about, you do not have to. We will also end the interview at any time if you ask us to. If you wish to end the interview, you can withdraw from the study, or you can take part in a new interview. Please inform the researcher or the principal investigator.

7. Possibility of publishing the results of the research

The results of this research will be published through conference presentations and research papers, after careful pseudonymizing procedures to prevent identification of individuals. You can review the interview after the transcript has been pseudonymized. You will be able to listen to the recordings of the interviews to verify that you have been quoted correctly and that your statement does not contain any personally identifiable information. Please let the researcher or principal investigator know of your request.

8. Confidentiality, handling of personal information and research data

The content of this study and the transcript will not be used for any purpose other than research and will be kept confidential. To protect your privacy, your name will be removed from the data and replaced with a pseudonym or an identification code in the questionnaire and the transcript. The interview and survey data with any personal information will be destroyed and erased after the verification period. We will create a correspondence table of an ID code and the participants name to accommodate your request for disclosure and destruction of related data. The interview transcript and the table will be stored on a separate recording medium with a password for each of them. In principle, the data will be processed without an internet connection. However, when using cloud services for the joint analysis with our international collaborators, we will conduct all procedures with the utmost care to ensure confidentiality. Paper documents, including consent forms, will be stored in a locked cabinet. Once the correspondence table is disposed of, we will not be able to respond to any requests for disclosure or disposal of data. Also, please note that once the data has been published in a research paper, it cannot be modified.

The anonymised and non-personally identifiable research data will be stored in the Finnish Social Science Data Archive and will be made available to other researchers for their use in other research.

9. Sources of funding for research

This research is supported by the Finnish Academy, Suomen Akatemia. (Application number 323493)

10. Principal investigator, the researcher and contact information

The researcher responsible for this study (principal investigator) is Chino Yabunaga, Professor, Faculty of Global and Regional Studies, Toyo University. If you have any questions regarding the content of this research, please contact her at the email address below.

If you have any questions regarding the research ethics of the principal investigator or the co-investigator, please contact the Center for Sustainable Development Studies, Toyo University.

Principal Investigator: Professor Chino Yabunaga, Faculty of Global and Regional Studies, Toyo University (yabunaga@toyo.jp)

Co-investigator: Assistant Professor, Dr. Daisuke Ito, Faculty of Global and Regional Studies, Toyo University (ito120@toyo.jp)

Researchers (Interviewers)

Prof. Chino YABUNAGA (Toyo University)

Dr. Daisuke ITO (Toyo University)

Dr. Akie YADA (Department of Educational Psychology, University of Jyväskylä, Finland)

Hiroya TAKAMATSU (Fellow, Research Center for Sustainable Development, Toyo University)