• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.171-194
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• 2012

This study focuses on immigrant women who are married to Korean men and who live in a multicultural family situation in Gyeonggi-do. These women experience acculturative stress and marital conflict and this study aims to determine how social support seeks to mediate the effects of those stressors. The women in this study participated in activities and received services from one of Gyeonggi-do Province's civic organizations, religious organizations, or social service organizations, such as the Social Welfare Agency and the Multicultural Family Support Center. In order to verify the study's hypothesis, the researchers used the following statistical analytical methods : t-test, two-way ANOVA and multi-regression analysis. Analysis of the study's results showed that the highest degree of marital conflict was found in the sub-zones and variables that were personal. Those variable were : the difference in mindset and values (personal domain), economic problems (communal living area), a child's upbringing and education issues (third party area), and the participant's sex life (in the marital relationship). The hypothesis was tested using the research model validation and the results are summarized as follows. First, in order to analyze the relationship between the marriage migration females' acculturative stress and the impact of that stress on marriage conflict, the hierarchical regression analysis was used. It identified that a direct correlation existed between acculturative stress and marriage conflict; where a higher degree of acculturative stress was present, a higher degree of marriage conflict was found. Second, the study found a statistical significance in the correlation and relationship (${\beta}$=.208, p<0.05) between the acculturative stress of the marriage migration female and material support. In other words, the material support can be seen as having a moderating effect on the acculturative stress, which is the independent variable, and the marital conflict, which is the dependent variable.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.79-89
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• 2010

Objectives: This study aims to identify health status and health risks among female marriage immigrants to Korea and to provide a basis for public health strategies to address their health issues. Methods: The participants of the study were 3,069 immigrant wives. The health examination was conducted by the Korea Association of Health Promotion (KAHP) in 2008. The participants also completed self-administered questionnaires on demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors and mental health. Results: Patterns of immigrant women's health problems differed by age and country of origin. Behavior patterns also differed by their heritage, age, and years of residence in Korea. Generally Vietnamese women fell in lower ranges of disease prevalence and health risk factors in the participant group and Japanese women presented most healthy eating habits. Filipina women showed relatively high disease prevalence than any other group. Conclusion: Immigration to Korea by marriage is relatively a new phenomenon, thus continuing surveillance and research are needed to identify health risks, behavior patterns, and their relationships. Interventions and policies for the health of migrant wives, their children and families are required.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.189-224
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• 2010

Nowadays Korean society has a fast growing population of North Korean immigrant youth. Especially, North Korean immigrant youth, who are discontinuing formal education, experience difficulties in social exclusion and adaptation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of adaptation and social support of North Korean immigrant youth discontinuing formal education, and to seek affirmative supporting plans and solutions for their adaptation. The methodology utilized for this study was a case study research. On the basis of the results and categorization, 'a network between overall categories and of early adaptation' was derived. The major findings of this study are summarized as follows. First, the participants of this study experienced major difficulties during 'economical adaptation', and their economical adaptation was strongly interrelated with their 'educational adaptation'. The discontinuing of their education resulting from their fleeing period caused 'academic differential and age disparity.' Thus they could not enroll in the formal education system, and their insufficient educational background resulted in low wages and overwork due to manual labor jobs. Second, participants recognized 'interpersonal relations' as the most essential factor in adaptation, and 'social support' from the interpersonal relations played an important role in adaptation to and comfort in Korean society. 'Interactions with South Koreans' was recognized as a significant resource for gaining informational and appraisal support, but was not activated satisfactorily. On the other hand, interaction with North Korean immigrants was avoided by the reason that 'there's nothing to learn', however emotional support from North Korean immigrants of close relationship played an important role in participants' adaptation, especially in all aspects of psychological adaptation. Third, participants experienced a lot of difficulties and stresses in their 'physical health and psychological adaptation'. Their chronic diseases worsened by remaining untreated, and female perceived symptoms were observed more often than in male. Meanwhile, excessive 'stresses' from the unfamiliar environment of South Korea negatively affected their psychological adaptation. However, they were satisfied with sense of liberty and security from living in a democratic society.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.891-902
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• 2008

Some Korean men choose to marry a foreigner expecting that marriage will solve all their problems. Therefore, this case study is to provide basic information on how to prevent conflicts in the marriage and how to get used to the marriage life. first, it is apparent that these match-makings between Korean men and married Female Immigrants are commercialized and are based on the two parties' convenience. Second, it is more possible that the issues with the role of husband/wife and the allocation of household labor stem from the cultural differences from international racial differences rather than Korean men are authoritative or patriarchal. It seems that the foreign brides from the third world countries choose to many Korean men with only a single purpose to financially help their parents. While neither willing to share household labor nor providing what is expected to be a wife, they demand financial assists for their parents or choose to get a job at a factory to make money. Third, the husbands expect their wives to learn Korean since there is not much opportunity to learn the wives' language and the culture. Also, the textbooks are rare to find for the languages. Moreover, the husbands do not have the enthusiasm or the ability to team due to age Fourth, the Korean men are rather psychological, financial, social victims than domestic abusers.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.613-620
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• 2020

This study aimed to investigate the current state and trends of health literacy research conducted on female marriage immigrant in South Korea over the past 10 years. A total of 107 related studies were searched through the web database, and 10 of them that met the inclusion criteria were finally analyzed. Most of the studies conducted in the healthcare fields such as nursing. Of the 9 studies were descriptive study, and there were no intervention studies. Most of studies involving women from main country of origin such as Vietnam, China, and the Philippines, and many studies conducted convenience sampling of less than 200 subjects from some regions for reasons such as accessibility. As a tool for measuring health literacy, KHLAT was most frequently used. For future research, collaborative research with healthcare fields and other fields through interdisciplinary interaction is necessary, and a circumstance in which field workers actively participate in research should be prepared. In addition, further studies including larger sample and community-based intervention improve health literacy are needed. Finally, efforts to improve the methodological consistency in the application of health literacy tools and to develop standardized instruments are required.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.133-161
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• 2018

Despite the amount of government budget and resources used for female immigrants who married Korean spouses, it has not been evaluated yet whether the services designed for the immigrants are actually delivered to potential users with social needs. This study is an attempt to identify moderating factors associated with perceived needs and utilizing services of the Multicultural Family Support Centers. The National Survey on Multicultural Families 2015 is used for the analysis. Findings are as follows: the immigrant with better Korean communication skills would use the center services more when they have needs; the immigrants who lack skills were more likely to use center services in spite of the needs. Secondly, the more female spouses satisfied with their marriages, they were less likely to use the services; however, the moderating effect was not significant, On the other hand, Korean male spouses' patriarchal attitude was statistically significant. According to the results, practical and political implications were suggested.

• English & American cultural studies
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-29
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• 2018

Nadine Gordimer's The Pickup, published in 2001, well shows how the social issues have been changed in a way to reflect the South African society which is more complicated in the post-apartheid era. Examining the two different geographical territories between Johannesburg, South Africa and an unnamed nation in Middle East, putting aside the domestic racism between white and black, she extends her issue of racial other to global one with new rising issue of immigration in South African society. It seems that Gordimer's such issue is well represented by two main characters: Julie Summers who comes from a wealthy family and falls in love with Abdu, an illegal immigrant who was born from a poor country in Middle East and is now working at a garage in a downtown of Johannesburg with hiding his real name Ibrahim ibn Musa. Having an official relationship with Ibrahim and joining the regular meeting at the El-Ay (L.A.) Cafe where all participants can enjoy the freedom of expression/speech except for Abdu, she begins to have interest in his silence and his presence, orientalized as the Arab Prince for her imagination. Arriving at Abdu 's nation later, she also keeps projecting the 'less civilized' images to his nation where there are only desert, uneducated people, and dirty houses and streets. In doing so, Gordimer leads reader to a never-ending issue of Orientalism in the Western literature. Moreover, the writer attempts to create a female-centered community at the male-centered Islam community by marginalizing the presence of Abdu who finally leaves to America alone. As Julie is successfully acculturated to the unknown Abdu's community, she begins to place herself at the center of the community and plays a role as a mediator/communicator who can change/civilize it with her western knowledge of language and culture. By replacing the male-centered with the female-centered through Julie, Gordimer seems to be creating an idealized community with the notion of matriarchy. However, Gordimer places Abdu as an unstable subject who has to endlessly move back and forth for his undetermined national and cultural identity while Julie achieves the determined identity in both nations.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.40-53
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• 2008

A case study has been conducted on the changes in the identity and agency of international marriage migrant women who experienced a shift from a immigrant worker to a foreign spouse and a Korean citizen. The life histories of the eight female migrants living in Gumi area, a representative inland industrial complex in Korea, have been investigated by in-depth interview. The aim is to examine how the female migrants reconstruct and interpret their lives. The results reveal that the identy of a female migrant is flexible depending on her social positionality. The identities established from the past experiences in their native countries have been changed by their situations and conditions in Korea. The female immigrants recognize that their problems have been an important issue both in government policy and mass media. However, the female migrants express a strong revolt against the fact that they are considered as underclass victims or innocent people from underdeveloped countries. This implies their ambivalence toward international marriage that they selected subjectively. There is a finding to show a new possibility; the Transnational Marriage & Family Support Center supported by Government may provide a good ground for the female migrants to be a active group agent. The results illustrate that the international marriage migrant women could not be classified into a single group as wives. Called for are diverse researches reflecting the complex situations of migrant women.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.125-141
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• 2013

This research aims to integrate study results through a meta-analysis of previous studies on the variables related with social support for female marriage immigrants. Based on the results, this study established the foundation of an integrated social support system for female marriage immigrants which considers both the functional perspective and structural perspective of social support, and suggested plans for an efficient support system. All social support was positively associated with female marriage immigrants marriage life, child-rearing behavior and attitude, reduction of stress and depression and psychological stability. In relation to the effect size of each variable related with all social support, the marriage variable had the biggest relationship with it, followed by the parenting variable, the psychological variable and the stress variable in that order. With reference to the relationship with related variables according to the sub-domain of social support, from the structural perspective, spousale support showed a high relationship with the marriage variable and the stress variable. It was also especially, very highly related with the marriage variable. In addition, a married woman's family support and expert support had an intermediate relationship with the marriage variable, and the husband's family support and friend support had a low relationship with it. From the functional perspective, material support had a very high relationship with the marriage variable, whereas it had a low relationship with the stress variable and the psychological variable. Emotional support was also highly related with marriage variable, but showed an intermediate or low relationship with the psychological variable and the stress variable. On the other hand, informational support displayed an intermediate relationship with the stress variable and the psychological variable, and a high relationship with the marriage variable. Lastly, evaluative support had a high relationship with the marriage variable and the psychological variable. Based on these results, this study proposed plans for an integrated social support system as follows. First, education ought to be provided for the spouses, and support for marital adjustment should be offered. Second, there plans should be made for continuous bonding with the family of origin, and support should be given to address changes in awareness of the relationship with the husband's parents. Third, it is required to revitalize the local community and self-help groups, and provide the female marriage immigrants with opportunities to participate in social activities.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.123-133
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to find out how female immigrants are interested in beauty and how fashion affects their fashion management behavior. First, the correlation between interest in beauty and fashion behaviors showed that every factor has a positive relationship with each other. Self-interest, which is one of the two sub-factors of interest in beauty, showed a particularly strong correlation with interest in orientation towards fashion. Interest in appearance education, which is one of the two sub-factors of interest in fashion, showed a strong relationship with interest in orientation towards fashion, proving that the more one is interested in appearance-related education, the more she follows fashion trends. This suggests that caring for appearance and fashion trends have a strong relationship. Second, looking into the effect of interest in beauty and fashion on fashion behaviors, it turned out that only personal interest, out of the two sub-factors of interest in beauty, affected pursuit of fashion sense, out of the two sub-factors of fashion behaviors; interest in appearance education rather than interest in orientation towards fashion affected pursuit of fashion sense; interest in orientation towards fashion affected caring for one's appearance.