• 한국사회정책
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.97-115
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• 2017

Unlike the past several decades when over 90% of unwed mothers chose to adopt their children, the number of never-married mothers who determine to raise their children for themselves has recently been increasing. However, many unwed mothers are still suffering from a diversity of problems including poverty, discrimination and biased stereotypes. To this end, this study aims to observe the development process of social policy for unwed mothers in Korea, with a special focus on the policy paradigm shift, and examine current social services for never-married mothers and their children. The results of the study shows the paradigm shift of social policy for unwed mothers occurred around the mid-2000's towards helping never-married mothers rear their children. However, social services for them have not kept pace with the paradigm change, which makes still very much hard for unwed mothers to raise their kids on their own. The study concludes with policy implications for improving social services for families headed by never-married mothers.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.373-393
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• 2006

This study aimed at understanding the experience in deciding for childcare of unmarried lone mother and searching for intervention methods through in-depth examination of the essence of the experience. To achieve this, the Colazzi analysis of phenomenological research was applied. The subjects of study were 7 unmarried lone mothers in early age of the twenties and thirties, who resided in an institution for unmarried lone mothers. An in-depth interview was held individually with them with question of "What is the experience in deciding for childcare as a unmarried lone mother" twice on the average from Nov. 2003 to Feb. 2005. The results found that a unmarried lone mothers' experience in childcare meant 'resurrection' through analyzing 22 themes and 7 theme clusters(confusion due to pregnancy, harsh feeling for reality suffering alone, feeling of love for a baby, mental conflict about childcare, decision toward childcare, firm in decision, hope for resurrection). Although the results of this study have the limitation of generalization due to phenomenological study, it will contribute to accepting and understanding mother-and-child families as one type of family rather than regarding them as being difficult or alienated in family and society, to recognizing the need of taking back their rights, and to suggesting intervention methods for unmarried lone mothers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Child Welfare
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• no.53
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• pp.1-23
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• 2016

With using a subsample of 1,373 poor single mothers and their children from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study, the present study examined the associations among mothers' economic hardship, depressive symptoms, and parenting stress, child abuse and neglect, and their children's behavior problems, delinquency, and social skill. These families were tracked through follow-up interviews at the time of birth, and when the children were three, five, and nine years old. The results indicated that mothers' economic hardship, depressive symptoms, and parenting stress were significant predictors to determine their children's abuse and neglect. Findings also suggest that higher levels of child abuse and neglect are positively associated with more behavior problems and delinquency, and negatively associated with social skills. Further discussions include policy and services to prevent child abuse and neglect and to alleviate mothers' financial difficulties, depression, and parenting stress.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.153-164
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the resilience of young single mothers on positive parenting behavior and the mediating effects of social prejudice on the relationship between resilience and positive parenting behavior. The findings of the study were as follows: First, optimism among resilience was found to have affected social prejudice in a negative way. Second, Positive attitude toward life and positive evaluation about self among resilience was found to have affected positive parenting behavior in a positive way. Third, Social prejudice was found to have affected positive parenting behavior in a negative way. Fourth, social prejudice was found to have had a mediating effect on the relationship between resilience and positive parenting behavior. This study is of significance in that it explored how to bolster the resilience and positive parenting behavior of young single mothers and urged counseling intervention and social-welfare approach to dispel social prejudice.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.241-255
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• 2019

This purpose of this study was to explore the implication of the social work practice through the experiences of the users who participated in the crisis support program. To do this, In-depth interviews were carried out with 12 research participants. The data was analyzed by general qualitative research methods. As a result of analysis, prior to participating in the Triangle Project, users lost their will to live in a vicious cycle of life crisis. Through the participation of the service, they were able to receive the integrated support of 'pregnancy - childbirth - rearing'. These experiences ultimately led to the regeneration of the will to live. Based on the results of this study, we suggest practical and policy implications that can complement the limitation of Korean unwed mothers' support system.

• Proceedings of the KHMA Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.387-387
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• 2012

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.404-418
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• 2016

This study aimed to explore negative experiences of unwed mothers in interaction with medical professionals, government officials and nursery teachers who have negative stereotypes about the unwed mothers and to seek ways of improving awareness and attitudes of the professionals. Researchers conducted individual and focus groups interviews with 15 unwed mothers. The results showed that unwed mothers experienced the violation of their maternal and privacy rights and inhospitable services in the interaction with medical professionals. They also had similar experiences with government officials who often had overbearing and discriminatory attitudes toward these mothers, and hardly received useful information. Last, unwed mothers had deep concerns about possibilities and experiences of discrimination against their children by nursery teachers and other parents in day care centers. In conclusion, this study discussed ways of improving awareness and attitudes toward unwed mothers through various medias and supplementary educations.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Child Welfare
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• no.36
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• pp.133-163
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• 2011

The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between social support and child behavior problems and cognitive development in low income female-headed families. Informed by the stress-coping theory, family process model, and theoretical perspectives related to social support, this study estimates both direct and indirect effects of social support on child behavior problems and cognitive development. In particular, we focus on how the relationship between child outcomes and social support is mediated by mothers' parenting stress. The first three waves of longitudinal data from a subsample of 1,315 single and non-cohabiting low-income mothers in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study were utilized in this study. Results suggest that social support is directly associated with child behavior problems and also indirectly associated with child behavior problems mediated by mothers' parenting stress. Social support did not have a direct effect on children's cognitive development but rather had an indirect effect, which was mediated by mothers' parenting stress. The policy and practice implications of these findings are discussed.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.636-652
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to have an in-depth understanding of the structure and essence of the living experiences of unmarried mothers institutionalized after childbirth through phenomenological research. Methods: The data were collected through in-depth interview with 9 unmarried mothers from October 1, 2016 to February 2017 and this is qualitative research using Colazzi's phenomenological research method. Results: The living experiences of unmarried mothers institutionalized after childbirth had 15 themes in 4 theme clusters: 'childbirth and parenting,' 'living in women's refuge,' 'becoming independent as proud mother,' and 'disentangled thread.' Conclusion: After childbirth, unmarried mothers experienced psychological pressure from the need to cope with lonely and wearing reality by themselves but struggled to overcome the reality together with their child. Unmarried mothers hoped to live the life they chose proudly and happily together with their child. It is therefore necessary to give residential and environmental support to unmarried mothers in pursuit of their stable living and to change the awareness in the whole society with the aim of removing negative social attitude and discrimination, accepting differences, and living together.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.35-69
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• 2014

This study was conducted to explore initial motherhood experience of non-married mothers who decided to raise their babies. We applied Rennie's hermeneutic grounded theory for this study in which 7 non-married mothers participated. 9 hermeneutic categories which are 'decision to give birth', 'feeling of hitting bottom', 'ambivalence toward a life in stomach', 'realization of motherhood', 'motherhood anxiety', 'the bridle of social tag', 'hope of motherhood', 'encounter with new self' and 'visage of weary life' were constructed based on 145 meaning units, 34 subordinate categories. The core category that integrates motherhood experiences of participants was postulated as living with two conflicting visages of motherhood which are a cure and a poison at the same time. Motherhood experience processes were emerged in five stages which are decision to give birth, psychological frustration, realization of motherhood, confusion, and hope and discouragement of motherhood. Three types of motherhood experience were analyzed in the study which are adaptative, conflictive, and resistant. Based on the result of the study, the motherhood experience of non-married mother who decided to raise their babies are the process of emergence of new identity called mother. The non-married mothers formed their motherhood identities as they internalize socioculturally granted motherhood ideology. Moreover, the gap between socially oriented motherhood and realistic role of motherhood led to confusion. Based on this study, we suggest intervention plans to the field of social welfare practice that will support initial motherhood of non-married mothers who decided to keep their babies.