• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.39-61
• /
• 2013

This paper analyzed the experience of case management experts and single mothers in managing the cases, as the useful approach for family enrichment of a low-income single parent family. The analysis included five case managements and interview with three case management experts for single-parent families. Four of the five cases have been in progress at present. According to the analysis, the main appeals for single-parent families were economy and basic life, physical and mental health, family and social relationships, and child care and education. Furthermore, the interview with the case management experts identified the difficulty in managing single-parent family cases, especially those cases with complicated demands and problems, barriers to expert management, and required support for family enrichment. Finally, this paper analyzed the implementation process of case management for single-parent families in a specific area, meaning that the results of this paper do not represent all single-parent families. Moreover, the analyzed reports were specific to the case management implementation process. Thus, the contents, which were not recorded in the reports, were not fully reflected, and the in-depth analysis of multilateral aspects was restricted.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.89-105
• /
• 2009

A family resilience approach aims to identify and fortify key interactional processes that enable families to withstand and rebound from disruptive life challenges. Walsh(1998) described family belief systems, organizational patterns, and communication processes as the three main keys of family resilience. The purpose of this study was to identify the three key factors of family resilience in case of divorced female single-parent families in Korea. The study participants were seven divorced mothers who were living in the institutional facility for female single-parent families. Using a qualitative approach, in-depth interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim for analysis. The study findings were as follows. First, the participants showed positive thinking rather than fear about the adversity induced by the divorce. They also showed the senses of competence, control, and self-esteem. However, the senses of transcendence and spirituality were barely evident. Second, emotional and economic supports from parents, brothers and sisters, and community networks (i.e., mother-child protection institution, healthy family support center) enhanced the family resilience of the participants. Third, the participants showed clear communication, open emotional expression, and shared decision making. This study suggests that more counseling services and parent education be provided by healthy family support center and institutional facilities as important family resilience factors for divorced female single-parent families who are below the poverty line.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.45-65
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study was to analyze the life satisfaction of a single household head. This study examined the life satisfaction level of the single household head and analyzed the contributing factors. Data for this study were from the 7th KLIPS (7th Korea Labor and Income Panel Study), and the sample. consisted of 241 single household heads (including 83 male household single heads and 158 female single household heads). The statistics used for the analysis were frequencies, percentile, means, standardization, ANOVA, and multiple regression. The results were as follows. First, 53% of the household heads were due to their spouses' death, 34% of the household heads were single due to divorce, and 13% were single for other reasons. The average age of a single household head was 51 years, and the average education level of a single household head was 9.7 years and 70% of the single household heads were employed. Approximately 46% of the single household heads lived in small-and medium-sized cities. Second, the level of satisfaction with income, leisure, and residence of the single household head was lower than the middle level (3.0 points), while the level of satisfaction with family relationships, relatives, and social relationships was higher than the middle level (3.0 points). Third, there were differences in the life satisfaction level of single household heads in accordance with the single household head's marriage status, residence, recognition of health status, and current financial situation. Finally, significant variables contributing to the life satisfaction level of the single household head were gender, educational level, residence, monthly total income, satisfaction level of leisure, and family relationships. The most influential variable was the residence.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.550-557
• /
• 2021

This study examined the latent groups regarding the changes and difficulties after becoming a single parent and analyzed the differences in the backgrounds and depressive levels according to each group. The data of 2,500 single parents from the 2018 Single Parent Family Survey were analyzed by Latent Profile Analysis (LPA). LPA indicated four-profile groups: 1) parenting stability group, 2) normal group, 3) economic stability group, and 4) potential-risk group. Its determinants included gender and economic status, including government funding type and employment status rather than academic status. Specifically, female single parents with an unemployed or low-income support household were more likely to be linked to the potential-risk group. In addition, the potential-risk group showed a higher depressive level than the parenting stability group, normal group, and economic stability group. The significance of this study is that distinguished intervention based on the characteristics of each group can promote the effectiveness of single-parent family support policy.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.59-75
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how divorced mothers had decided to take custody of their children and became single mothers. The experiences of their lives after divorce were also explored. Data were collected from 17 Korean divorced mothers who were divorced between 2004 and 2009, and were raising at least one minor child. The data were analyzed based on the phenomenological data analysis method. Three main themes were identified: (a) reasons for deciding to have physical custody of the children, (b) mothers' experiences of adjustment after divorce, and (c) mothers' need for a policy concerning the well-being of their families. According to the divorced mothers, they decided to have physical custody of the children since they believed raising children was their natural duty of mothers or they were the most appropriate ones to raise the children rather than the fathers. While the mothers were satisfied with their lives after divorce in general, they also experienced difficulties including child care and financial strain. In particular, most mothers experienced work-family conflict related to the lack of reliable child care. When their family lives and work lives collided, the mothers put their children first and chose jobs that helped them take care of their children at the same time. The divorced single mothers hoped that the social safety net for single parents would expand to support their independence. Implications for single-parent policy are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.61 no.1
• /
• pp.81-107
• /
• 2009

This study is to understand, in the view of resilience, the experience of military widows, whose husbands died while on active military duty and have lived as single mothers for a long time. This study using a qualitative research method based on Phenomenology, especially using Colaizzi's process of data analysis. 99 meaningful sentences, 26 themes, and 10 theme clusters has been categorized from the interview of 9 military widows, who has been participated a self-help group for them. The 10 theme clusters are 'denial and grief over the death of spouse', 'ambivalence over the duty of their husbands', 'acceptance of the helpless fate and arduous fight to live', 'sorrow in the social and historical context', 'responsibility and endeavoring of parenting', 'self-existential challenge', 'immanent belief system as a military widow'. 'effort to find self-identity in the outer systems', 'wish to reassure their existence', and 'to find the meaning of life after husband's dead'. These their self respect and feeling of honor have become their belief system in their life, which they have raised their children and take their responsibilities with their best effort. The self-help group has helped them to find their self-identity and has sustained emotionally healthy. This group has been also empowering them through their voices being heard to the outside society. They have made an effort which their existence is recognized by the country and the military system. The findings of this study can be used as a system to gather opinions and to provide information and program which may be accepted politically and then applicable and integrated social work service through the social support system and networking.

• Human Ecology Research
• /
• v.51 no.6
• /
• pp.603-612
• /
• 2013

With the increase of single-parent families in the Korean society, the perception of the function and structure of the family is changing. Thus, a public transition toward embracing single-parent families as another form of family is necessary. This study focuses on the families of divorced female single-parents using Walsh's family resilience framework with a strengths-based perspective. It aims to provide the basic data necessary for deducing policy-related and practical ways of supporting the families and for developing programs that help divorced female single-parent families maintain and reinforce resilience. Qualitative analysis was used as the research method. A preceding literature review was also carried out to collect data. The major findings of this study include the following: First, it was found that the average age of divorce is around 30-40, with children of school age. The mothers' level of education was relatively high, ranging from high school graduates to graduate school students. On Rothwell and Cohen's happiness scale, their objective level of happiness was higher (74.1) than that of the average Korean (64). Second, it was found they were very careful to avoid violence in everyday life as an after-effect of domestic violence, which was the major cause of their divorce. Third, their positive and optimistic attitudes about life even in adversity can be interpreted as Walsh's belief systems taking a more important role among other characteristics of family resilience.

• Human Ecology Research
• /
• v.55 no.4
• /
• pp.363-384
• /
• 2017

The Korean government implemented better support for adolescent single-parent families by expanding the coverage of the Single-parent Family Support Act in 2010. In order to understand the effect, this study verified the moderating effect of the single-parent family policy's support for child rearing in the context of adolescent female single-parent's stress levels and education sustainability. This study utilized part of the National Youth Policy Institute's 'Research on the Actual Condition of the Adolescent Pregnancy, Birth and Rearing Children'. Participants of the study were 248 adolescent single-parents aged 24 and below. The findings and discussion of this study are as follows. First, the stress level of adolescent female single-parent in continuing studies was lower than those for discontinued studies. Students who discontinued their education in the middle of studies showed an increase in life stress level relative to age because they had a low level of education and had discontinued studies before pregnancy. Second, the public nanny service has been verified as an element to increase the continuation of education by controlling the level of stress. It is advisable to fortify and expand the scope of support for childcare services in the form of a study assistant or child education assistant. Last, adolescent single-parent childcare subsidies have been verified as a direct factor that raised the meaningful level of education continuity potential to a meaningful standard that can be seen as a more effective method than general policy support for single-parent families.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Child Welfare
• /
• no.59
• /
• pp.1-23
• /
• 2017

Using a subsample of 3,409 unmarried smothers and their children from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study, the present study examined the cross-lagged effects of unmarried fathers' involvement on their children's behavior problems. Father involvement was used as a latent variable to measure the frequency of fathers' visits to the child, fathers' instrumental support, and their supportive parenting. Both variables of father involvement and child behavior problems were repeatedly measured at child ages 3, 5, and 9 to estimate their trends over time. The results indicated that fathers' more active engagement in parenting at child ages 3 to 5 reduced behavior problems in children at ages 5 to 9. Further discussions include programs and services to support unmarried fathers through education and training opportunities for effective parenting, relationship skills, and conflict resolutions as well as policy strategies to encourage their continuous involvement in the lives of their children.