• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.333-341
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze married immigrant women's utilization of health care and their demand for public health care services. Methods: This study was conducted through descriptive survey with 102 married immigrant women in 2 cities, and survey was done from November, 2010 to May, 2011. Results: The results were as follows. Of respondents, 70% were using medical services in Korea and only 38.2% of them were satisfied with services. Major difficulties in using health care services were 'access problem' (35.7%), 'communication problem' (27.7%), and 'medical cost' (19.8%). The respondents' main sources of health information were family (56%), health care center (15%). The types of health information and education demanded by respondents were children's health care (22.1%), pregnancy and delivery (21.1%), and common disease care (20.0%). The most wanted services from public health care institutions were vaccination (24.5%), health promotion (21.5%), and leisure activity programs (20.6%). There was a statistically significant difference in period of immigration and public health care demands. Conclusion: For married female immigrants, it is recommended to provide tailored public health care services such as outreach service and visiting nursing care service, and to set up different language signs for common disease patients.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.87-107
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• 2006

A study of 117 Korean immigrant women who had husband and(or) children in Hawaii found the relation between social networks and psychological well-being. Social networks composed supporters, support structure, and support contents. Psychological well-being examined family life satisfaction, family life stability, and women's psychological health. Results showed as followed. First, the choice of immigration place among Korean immigrant women and her family based on other family members and friends lived in there. Second, her supporters were family and relatives, Korean friends, foreign friends, religions, belonged organizations and groups, public agencies in Hawaii, and mass-media. The best supporters of them was family and relatives and they mostly provided mental health to Korean immigrant women. Family, Korean friends, foreign friends, and religions tended to support emotional assistance. Third, the level of psychological well-being was higher. Her level of psychological health was higher than the others. Fourth, the best predictors of psychological well-being were child existence, occupation, and immigration duration. Fifth, psychological well-being significantly distinguished different relations of supporters from support structure of social network. The number and support duration with foreign friends supporter and the support duration and the level of perceived useful support content highly related with psychological well-being.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.389-402
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• 2018

This study investigated the influence of parenting attitudes and parenting efficacy on parents' educational needs to establish basic data for educational programs and intervention strategies to promote parenting attitudes and parenting efficacy among married immigrant women. This was a study of descriptive correlation among 154 married immigrant women with adolescent children. The results showed that family support and spousal support influenced parenting behavior and stress associated with childcare. Specifically, spousal support and family support were negatively correlated (r = 0.046, F = 3.629 p < 0.05) with parenting attitude (r = 0.046, F = 3.629 p < 0.05). Only spousal support was negatively correlated (r =0.227, F = 7.11 .<.01) with stress from children. Moreover, higher support from the spouse and family was associated with lower parenting stress and higher spousal support was associated with lower stress associated with the relationship with the child. The results of this study will facilitate development of a structured education program for married immigrant women to enhance parenting attitudes, as well as to reduce parenting stress.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.255-268
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to deepen our understanding about mothers' parenting stress in multi-cultural families. The study was conducted through in-depth interviews of 6 mothers from Mongolia, Philippines, and Japan who were living in Seoul. The findings of this study were as follows. First, mothers of multi-cultural families had difficulties of giving birth and child rearing, especially in the earliest years of their children. They were not fully adapted to the ways of living in Korea with little social support from family members and neighbors. Second, they were worried about their children's development, particularly language development due to their lack of understanding and fluency in Korean. Third, they were concerned about the cultural and racial discrimination against their children. They expected their children to be treated and respected equally like ordinary Korean children. Fourth, they were anxious about the fact that their children might not acquire the basic academic skills before they enter the elementary schools. Furthermore, they were worried that their children might not get as much educational support as they want. Fifth, despite the burden of mother's role in Korea, they wished to get a job to support their children for better education. In conclusion, the marriage immigrant mothers experienced the stress due to the lack of social support, the discrimination against immigrants, the possibilities of their children's delays in development, the disparity in the level of support for educating their children and the high expectations about their children's education in Korean society. Therefore it is necessary for the policy makers to consider more practical support system for the multi-cultural families in order for the marriage immigrant mothers to build up self-confidence in child rearing and educating their children.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.101-117
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• 2011

This research is intended to explore the adaptation process for immigrant women and their Korean spouses through a qualitative method. It is aimed at understanding how immigrant women and their Korean spouses have adjusted to their lives in Korea over the last 10 years and how they have dealt with difficulties in the adaptation process. The participants were 15 intermarried couples consisting of a Southeast Asian wife and a Korean husband. They got married through matchmakers and have children between the ages of 8 and 13. The study carried out in-depth interviews. To analyze the interview data, the qualitative software program Nvivo8 was used. The results showed that immigrant women and their Korean spouses experienced confusion at first. They struggled adapting to each other's lifestyles and made efforts to establish harmony. In the end, they made their own family identity as a multicultural family. The study widens the understanding of multicultural families by focusing on both wives and husbands. Also, the use of the Nvivo8 software strengthens the reliability of the data analysis. The results will contribute to providing interracial couples with the adaptive strategies.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.211-227
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare health literacy levels of Asian immigrant women and factors associated with health literacy focusing on Korean-Chinese and other Asian immigrants in Korea. Methods: Data were drawn from 258 immigrant women, comprising 56 Korean-Chinese and 202 other immigrants from the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Taiwan, and Han-Chinese. The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine - Short Form (REALM-SF) was used to assess health literacy, which consisted of seven medical words in Korean (behavior, exercise, menopause, rectal, antibiotics, anemia, and jaundice). Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA with $Sch{\acute{e}}ffe$ post hoc test, and hierarchical regression. Results: Korean-Chinese women showed significantly higher levels of health literacy ($M=6.41{\pm}1.07$), compared to their other immigrant counterparts ($M=4.55{\pm}2.15$). While Korean-Chinese women with longer time since immigration (p=.048) reported higher health literacy, for other immigrants, those living with children (p<.001), longer time since immigration (p=.011), and greater Korean language proficiency (p=.004) showed an association with higher health literacy. Conclusion: When providing health care services and health education, health care professionals should consider differences in levels of health literacy and factors associated with health literacy among Korean Chinese and other immigrants.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.367-376
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• 2019

Purpose: Study purpose was to describe the child safety injury experiences, injury prevention behaviors and educational needs of immigrant Vietnamese women on Jeju Island, and to explore associations among those factors. Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted using structured questionnaires to collect data from immigrant Vietnamese women who visited a multicultural centers on Jeju Island from January to April, 2017. Results: Data from 60 women were analyzed. They were $28.2{\pm}5.5$ years old, had resided in Korea for $40.6{\pm}31.1$ months, and had $1.5{\pm}0.6$ children on average. In total, 51.7% had previous injury prevention education, 68.2% had experienced child safety injuries, and 95.0% wanted to receive education on how to prevent child safety injuries. The mean total score of child injury prevention behaviors was $27.33{\pm}17.79$, and that variable was associated with a longer duration of formal education (t=2.41, p=.021) and with women's experiences of child safety injury (t=5.97, p<.001). Conclusion: Immigrant Vietnamese women experienced a higher frequency of child safety injuries and needed educational opportunities to prevent these injuries. Further research is necessary to develop the essential content and effective methods for education on child safety injury prevention among this unique multicultural population.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1049-1069
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine post-divorce adjustment and new partnership of immigrant single mother after divorce. 4 immigrant single mothers from Vietnam were interviewed and data were analyzed by qualitative method. The results were as follows. First, immigrant single mothers coped with stress after divorce through sending their children to Vietnam, working and remittance. Second, they began dating a new man in the work place who were of various nationalities, such as Korean, Vietnamese, Uzbekistan and developed partnership to remarry, cohabit or date with deep intimacy. Third, single immigrant mothers in various partnership like remarriage, cohabitation or dating were satisfied with intimate and loving relationships and support from both sides parents and the birth of new child. However, participants were anxious about the new partner's favoritism toward the biological child and discrimination against the new partner with an unfamiliar cultural background, for example, being from a like a Muslim country. The results suggested immigrant women after divorce showed various partnership on a path towards marriage and that we should pay attention to the aspects of change in multicultural families after divorce.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.307-314
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to understand immigrant women's knowledge of menstruation, attitude towards menstruation and knowledge of contraception. The study employed a descriptive survey. The participants were 120 married immigrant women in Chonnam area. Data were collected through questionnaire and interview from July to December, 2009. The participants had average score in knowledge and attitude of menstruation and knowledge for contraception. There were statistically significant differences in knowledge of menstruation according to nationality, level of satisfaction with current lifestyle, perceived health status, number of children desired, and sources of contraceptive information. There were statistically significant differences in attitude towards menstruation according to age, nationality, perceived health status, and number of children desired. There were statistically significant differences in knowledge of contraception according to level of education, nationality, and dysmenorrhea. According as the attitude toward menstruation increased, the knowledge for contraception decreased. The results of this study suggest a need for multidimensional strategy to raise knowledge of menstruation and contraception for married immigrant women.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.70-75
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• 2017

BACKGROUND: Immigration to South Korea from neighboring Asian countries has risen dramatically, primarily due to marriage between Korean men and foreign women. Although Filipino women rank fourth among married immigrant women, little is known about the health condition of this population. This manuscript focuses on the design and methods of Filipino women's diet and health study (FiLWHEL). SUBJECTS/METHODS: FiLWHEL is a cohort of Filipino women married to Korean men, aged 19 years old or over. The data collection comprised three parts: questionnaire, physical examination, and biospecimen collection. Questionnaires focused on demographic factors, diet, other health-related behaviors, acculturation and immigration-related factors, medical history, quality of life, and children's health information. Participants visited the recruitment site and answered the structured questionnaires through a face-to-face interview. We also measured their anthropometric features and collected fasting blood samples, toenails, and DNA samples. Recruitment started in 2014. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Collection of data is ongoing, and we plan to prospectively follow our cohort participants. We expect that our study, which is focused on married Filipino women immigrants, can elucidate nutritional/health status and the effects of transitional experiences from several lifestyle factors.