• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.87-105
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors associated with instrumental support (i.e., economic and practical support) from parents to their adult children. We examined both parents' attitudes toward instrumental support for adult children and parents' actual provision of instrumental support. From the data of the 2010 second National Survey of Korean Families, we selected 532 mothers and 524 fathers who were married and had at least one adult child aged over 25. Multiple regression analyses by the parents' gender showed that fathers were more likely to agree with instrumental support for adult children in general when they had unmarried children, had a lower household income level, had a lower evaluation of their socio-economic class, were satisfied with their own household economic situation, had positive attitudes toward caregiving for elderly parents, and were satisfied with their couple relationships. For mothers, they were more likely to agree with instrumental support for adult children in general when they had positive attitudes toward caregiving for elderly parents, were satisfied with their couple relationships, and perceived their child as someone to rely on in times of difficulties. Our analyses of the actual provision of support indicated that fathers tended to provide more support when they perceived that they were healthy, had unmarried children, were less satisfied with their household economic situation, had negative attitudes toward child-rearing, and reported a higher quality of parent-child relationship. For mothers, they were more likely to provide actual support when they were healthy, had unmarried children, had a higher level of household income, were financially preparing for later life, and less satisfied with their couple relationships. The findings of this study imply that it is imperative to distinguish the attitudes toward support from the actual provision of support and to also consider parents' gender in the literature on instrumental support for adult children.

• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.1213-1223
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to explore and describe the health and welfare needs experienced by old parents living with disabled adult children, and to help generate research interest and public policy attention on this critical issue. For the purpose of this study, the survey was conducted with older parents who are living with dependent adult children with physical or mental disability. Among collected data for this study, data for 105 older parents were analyzed. The results showed that older parents have suffered with care responsibilities for their disabled adult children as well as special needs resulted from their old age. And older parents have little or even nothing prepared for later life because of lifetime economic, physical and social difficulties related to their disabled children. Also these difficulties had a significant impact on their idea of health and welfare needs in later life. It showed that older parents had mainly concerned and wanted to have the direct cash benefits and medical provisions but hardly recognised the importance of other services such as leisure activities. Preliminary suggestions of this study therefore may be helpful to improve the public policy approach in order to better serve older parents with disabled adult children in the coming aging society.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.109-142
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• 2005

This paper examines the changes in family values in Korea by examining values of children, socialization values, and social support of elderly parents with young and olders mothers. A total of 314 mothers of infants (young mothers) and 395 mothers of adolescents (older mothers) completed a questionnaire compiled by Schwarz, Chakkarath, Trommsdorff, Schwenk and Nauck(2001) comprising of values of children, cultural values, socialization values, interpersonal relationship, social support, stress, and life-satisfaction. In terms of values of children, the older mothers are more likely to emphasize social values, such as continuing the family line. Young mothers are more likely to emphasize psychological values, such as the pleasure of seeing a child grow. As for reasons for net wanting to have children, young mothers are more likely to point out personal constraints than older mothers, such as restriction of freedom. Second, older mothers are more likely than young mothers to express willingness to provide support for their children and even when their children become adults. Older mothers had a more lenient expectation of their children in terms developmental timetable and to expect support from their children when compared with young mothers. Young mothers are more likely to socialize their children with greater warmth and at the same time have higher child-rearing stress when compared to older mothers. Third, when compared with older mothers, young mothers are more likely to receive practical and emotional support from their parents. On the other hand, older mothers are more likely to provide greater practical and emotional support to their parents than the young mothers. Overall, compared to young mothers, older mothers are more likely to hold traditional and conservative values of children and socialization values. These contrasting values reflect the changes in family structure and social change that have been progressing rapidly in recent years.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.595-622
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• 2016

This study aims to understand the process of family reunion of the ex-offenders. To this end, Korea Rehabilitation Agency under Ministry of Justice and Healthy Family Support Center conducted intensive interviews with ex-offenders, their families and with 8 counselors who are in charge of ex-offenders and their families' residential, psychological, and educational support. The data collected through the interviews were analyzed by Consensus Qualitative Research(COR). The followings are the results: the counselors found out that most of ex-offenders had experienced unhappy childhood which was lack of healthy relationship with their parents. Secondly, counselors noticed a common feature among the families of ex-offenders. The common feature was that they keep the fact that one of their parents was imprisoned to their children as a secret. Thirdly, through the data analysis, counselors could understand various factors that affect reunion of ex-offenders' families: the factors that helped successful reunion were ex-offenders' sense of responsibility, open and healthy communication among family members, and mutual understanding of being a good family member, whereas, irresponsible dependance to other family members, denier and avoidance from the family members against ex-offenders, and lost sense of being a family member were the factors that discouraged the reunion. It turned out that the kinds of crime that ex-offenders committed also affected family reunion. The processes of reunion were easier for those who served their time with fraud, embezzlement, whereas, it was much more challenging for those who served their time with rape, violence, or murder. Fourthly, counselors learned that "relaxation" is the key factor in the process of reunion of ex-offenders' families. They also emphasized that there should be thorough monitoring process before the intervention in the reunion process. This study contributes in terms of finding healthy ways of intervention with ex-offenders' families and developing programs that help ex-offenders to recover their relationship with their family.