• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.468-481
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing the reproductive health behavior of married immigrant women (MIW). Methods: A cross-sectional based survey was conducted. The data were collected using a self-reporting questionnaire of MIW who lived in cities and provinces. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Results: A total of 141 subjects participated in the study (mean age, $34.23{\pm}6.53$). Of the participants, 45.4% were Vietnamese. The reproductive health behavior score of the subjects was $4.09{\pm}0.51$. The reproductive health behavior showed positive correlations with attitude (r=.37, p<.001), perceived behavioral control (r=.35, p<.001) and intent (r=.33, p<.001). The factors influencing the reproductive health behavior were attitude toward the reproductive health behavior (${\beta}=.24$, p=.005), perceived behavioral control (${\beta}=.18$ p=.046), experience of breast feeding (${\beta}=.20$, p=.014), and the self-evaluated Korean listening ability (${\beta}=.18$, p=.019). These variables explained 29% of the variance in the reproductive health behavior. Conclusion: According to the above results, a specific educational program for MIW is needed to increase their reproductive health behavior.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.10 no.8
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• pp.308-316
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• 2010

The present study set out to explore the acculturative stress and mental health(depression) of Korean women living in Britain according to socio-demographic factors, social relations and social supports level. 152 Korean women's data were collected and analyzed with frequency, correlation, ANOVA. Analysis revealed that women's acculturative stress and depression level was 2.50(moderate) and 1.66(slightly low) respectively. Acculturative stress level showed correlation with depression level. Among demographic variables, acculturative stress was significantly different from residence period in Britain, marriage and economic state and the level of depression was also different from job and economic state. The group which has frequent relationships with British and high level of social supports showed low acculturative stress. The group has high level of social supports also showed low depression. These findings highlight the importance of concerns and interventions about acculturation and mental health of Korean immigrant women and community services for the new immigrant women to improve their acculturation and mental health.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.197-206
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• 2014

This research intends to explore services, programs or policies for supporting married immigrant women to qualify themselves for being employed from the professional point of view on the assumption that their desire to get a job is high. To achieve this purpose, a delphi survey was conducted with a panel of 13 experts related to multi cultural family support in three sessions from December 20, 2013 to June 5, 2014. To analyze the collected data, descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, the mean, and standard deviation, were implemented, and Kendall's W for the internal reliability test on the survey instrument was carried out for statistical processing. The results are as follows : from the first session, services, programs, and policies in the level of married immigrant women themselves, children, parents in law and/or husband, organizations, and government were suggested. The highest item in average is systematization of levelwise Korean teaching program. The next higher items in average are daycare service during job training, parents in law and/or husband's consideration, parenting support services, program development of the organizations, linkage and integration system among the government ministries. As a result of the Kendall's W performed for the internal reliability test of the Delphi research, it has been concluded that the professionals' view on the supportive measures' important contents was statistically identical. According to the results of the Delphi research, systematization of levelwise Korean teaching program most required for the furtherance of the married immigrant women's entering the workforce, followed by provision of the services to draw family support, a grounding teaching of Korean corporate culture, and reconsideration of the policies.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.290-301
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• 2013

This study aimed to explore the effect of the intimacy with social workers on the use of social welfare services of marriage-based female immigrants. Also, this study verified the effect of the quantity of the welfare service-related information as a mediated variable on the use of social welfare services. For this purpose, this study collected data from a total of 304 immigrant women married to Korean men living in City of Busan, City of Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province, and the data was analysed by SPSS 21. As the result of study, the intimacy with social workers had significant influences on the use of social welfare services of the married immigrant women. The results also showed that the intimacy with social workers contributed to the quantity of the welfare service-related information. Based on these results, implications of the important roles of social workers and the directions of their effective roles for the marriage based female immigrants to use the social welfare services were suggested.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.149-160
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing emotional and behavior characteristics among children in multicultural families. The factors include demographic and psychological characteristics of married immigrant women. Surveys were distributed to 200 married immigrant women and, 148 surveys were returned and analyzed. The findings are as follows: first, emotional and behavioral characteristics of children were significantly associated with the age of their mothers and household income. Second, acculturative stress in married immigrant women was significantly related to the overall behavior characteristics of their children. Third, children whose mothers experienced a higher level of acculturative stress and were of older age showed internalizing problems. The level of Korean language proficiency and marital satisfaction were also important factors influencing sub-categories of internalizing and externalizing problems aside from acculturative stress. Implications and suggestions to develop preventative programs for emotional and behavioral problems of children in multicultural families are discussed.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.129-145
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• 2016

This study focuses on the differences in family values, which is a cause of family dissolution and conflicts of marriage immigrant women. This study was conducted on 441 women in Vietnam. It was done to explore their family values. Specifically, the following were examined: the overall family values and martial status of Vietnamese women; differences in their family values by region (northern, central, southern). The survey questionnaire consists of the following content: 'family perception'; 'gender-role values'; 'elderly parent support value'. The characteristics of family values of Vietnamese women are as follows. First, the scope of family perceived by them was relatively narrow. In particular, most of them didn't perceive the parents of a spouse as a familymember. Second, in terms of gender-roles, they perceived men and women as equal and didn't have strong perception of traditional gender roles. Third, they felt strongly about supporting elderly parents. The perception of supporting elderly parents is based on equal gender roles, instead of the paternalistic approach. They preferred financial support to living with parents. There were also differences in family values by region. Also, their values seemed to be the opposite of the ones well-known by region. In addition, their values were changing amid economic growth and modernization. Residents in Can Tho in the south - known to have open-minded Southeast Asian values - had the most patrilineal, traditional values with strong perception towards supporting elderly parents. Residents in Hanoi in the north - known to have heavy influence of Confucian culture - had non-traditional values with positive attitude towards liberal sex culture, divorce, and remarriage. Residents in Da Nang, a central region, had a mixture of northern and southern characteristics in terms of family values.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.345-356
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• 2016

This study analysed the relationship between the discrimination that international marriage migrant women experience and various self-reported health indicators. The participants included 545 international marriage migrant women who responded to a self-questionnaire that was handed out to them at multicultural family support centers they attended in the C area. We designed this causal model to examine the relationship between the discrimination that international marriage migrant women feel they experience and their mental and physical health. Results of the study are as follows. First, the fit indices were found to be $x^2$(df)=236.403(76), CFI=.945, RMSEA=.077. These were statistically acceptable levels. In addition, perceived discrimination produces significantly heightened stress and negative effects on mental and physical health among immigrant women. Therefore, discrimination may constitute a risk factor for the health of immigrant women and could be the fact that explains health inequalities among immigrant populations in Korean society. These results suggest the need to find ways to reduce discrimination within Korean society as it becomes a multicultural society rapidly.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.23-36
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• 2009

Relationships between immigrant mothers' Korean language ability and preschoolers' language development in multi-cultural families were studied with 91 mothers and their children. Language capacity of mothers and children was measured by receptive and expressive vocabulary test, sentence comprehension test and two kinds of reading tests. Results showed that mothers' level of comprehension was relatively low but their reading ability was higher than that of elementary school first-grade Korean students. Comprehension of children in multi-cultural families with non-immigrant counterparts showed a lower level of language ability. Mother's level of expressive vocabulary, receptive vocabulary and reading ability correlated with children's language development. These results indicate a relationship between children's delayed language development in multi-cultural families and mother's low proficiency in Korean language.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.144-150
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• 2013

Objectives The number of marriage immigrant women has been increasing in the past several years in Korea and their adaptations to the new environment have been an important social issue. The aims of this study were to evaluate the psychosocial and mental health statuses of Vietnamese marriage immigrant women (VMIW). We intended to compare the mental health of VMIW with married Vietnamese women living in Vietnam and reveal the demographic or psychosocial factors affecting their mental health. Method Subjects comprised one-hundred-forty-three VMIW who enrolled in multiculture family support centers in Chungbuk Province and forty-eight women from Vinh Phuc province in Vietnam. Marital satisfaction, domestic violence and social support were evaluated as psychosocial factors, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) were used to evaluate mental health. Results VMIW had a larger age gap with their husbands but better psychosocial statuses. BDI (p = 0.20), BAI (p = 0.08), GHQ (p = 0.13) scores of VMIW were not significantly different compared to Vietnamese residents. Marriage duration of VMIW affects significantly their marital satisfaction, social support and depressive levels (p < 0.01). The level of domestic violence showed a significant difference according to the educational levels of their husbands, composition of family members and marriage process (p < 0.05). VMIW with older husbands and jobless VMIW had low levels of anxiety (p < 0.01). Conclusion The results suggest that VMIW have no difference in mental health compared to Vietnamese women living in Vietnam which is contrary to general expectations. However, various environmental factors, such as marriage duration, have an effect on the mental health of VMIW. As marriage duration is proven to be important factor on mental health of VMIW, more extended duration of care and interventions are needed to maintain good mental health. Networking system connecting mental health screenings by the multiculture family support center to the local mental healthcare center is needed to care those with poor screening outcomes.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.107-127
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to explore how married female immigrants adjust to their lives in Korea. A total of 15 women from three different countries participated in the study. The major issues that these women faced included communication breakdowns with their husband and other family members, financial problems as well as problems with raising children in a different culture. The findings showed that such problems were usually rooted in a lack of Korean cultural knowledge and skills. Additionally, the inaccurate use of the language by married female immigrants who have lived in Korea for longer than six months was often fossilized. For instance, because they usually learned the language in a local dialect, it took them longer to distinguish the dialect from standard Korean. The results found that married female immigrants who received both Korean lessons and family life education instructions overcame their culture shock and adapted to Korean culture more easily than those who did not receive such instructions.