• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.399-432
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to understand the adjustment process of families adopting an older child, and to generate a substantial theory. To achieve this purpose, we conducted in-depth interviews with mothers adopting an older child and analyzed data with qualitative analysis approach. From the analysis, theoretical model has been made, and the model includes the adoptive families' diverse experiences, barriers to adjustment as well as resources and strategies that they mobilized and used for smooth adjustment. Their experiences in the process of adjustment consisted of five phases: unfamiliar meeting, shock, fighting alone without support, control, and stability. Barriers to adjustment process were composed of adoptees' problem behaviors, loss of time, lack of preparation, lack of experiences, repetition of the vicious circle, withstanding alone, improper resources, lack of support, and being criticized. Resources and strategies that families adopting an older child utilized were individual resources and ability such as rearing experiences, intellectual ability, willingness, belief, and perspective change; family system such as spouse and other offsprings; informal support system such as extended families, relatives, friends, neighbors, and other families adopting an older child; formal resources such as adoption workers and helping professionals. From our results, we suggested policy and practice guidelines to help adjustment experiences for families adopting an older child.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.279-294
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to synthesize and interpret the findings of previous qualitative studies that investigated the lived experiences of Korean emerging adults who aged out of the foster care system. Based on our selection criteria, we extracted and analyzed 14 papers that were published between 2010 to 2023. Our meta-synthesis found that the emerging adults' life world consisted of seven domains: family experience, life tasks, education and work, financial issues, home and family, interpersonal relationships, and psychological and emotional issues. We restructured the emerging adults' lived experiences using van Manen's concepts of lived time, lived space, lived things, lived self-other, and lived body. Our meta-synthesis revealed that these emerging adults experienced multidimensional difficulties due to shortcomings of formal and informal social support after aging out of the foster care system. Their difficulties accumulated in their interaction with lived time. Based on the level of their accumulated difficulties, we categorized the emerging adults into stable, struggling, and isolated groups. However, it is important to note that many of them adapted to their own life world and strived to move forward. This qualitative meta-synthesis provides a comprehensive understanding and new interpretation of emerging adults who transition from foster care to independent living in the context of Korea.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.103-124
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• 2013

To improve family well-being of single-parents, the utilization of familial social resources-including formal supports, informal supports, and social capital-has become one of the most important family resource management issues. The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of familial social resources of single-parent households with those of two-parent households and to investigate the differences according to three factors, specifically poverty, family types by gender and age of parent, and householders' employment. In addition, the determinants of single-parent households' wellbeing were analyzed from two perspectives: economic wellbeing and psychological life satisfaction. Data from the 5th wave of the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS) were used. The major findings were as follows. First, single-parent households utilized their familial social resources more actively than their counterparts, especially in terms of the formal support of child care. Second, single parent households utilized their familial social resources differently in relation to poverty, family types, and parents' employment. Third, the determinants of economic wellbeing and psychological life satisfaction were different according types of familial social resources. Based on these empirical results, policy implications for the future economic wellbeing of baby boomers were provided.