• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.263-276
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• 1996

The purpose of this study is to explore various environmental factors that explain parenting practices. Those factors considered are stress and characteristics of single-mother/child together with psychological distress experienced by the single mother. A total of 285 poor single mothers with a child attending elementary school or junior high school completed a structured questionaire. The relationships among the variables were analyzed by the path analysis. The results showed that poor single mothers rely on affectiv $e^portive involvement more frequently then punitive/inconsistent discipline. It is also confirmed that the enviromental factors such as financial stress living environmental stress and job status play important roles in determining the quality of parenting practices with the mediating role of psychological distress.ss.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.187-199
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• 1997

The purposes of this research were to investigate the conditions of family life education and to develop an effective program for single-mother families. to study these objectives, two kinds of questionnaire were used and the data were obtained through 60 officials and 173 single mothers. the most frequently educated topic by organizations was counseling and mental hygiene. Family relationships and women's activity were following important topics, but family relationships was most needed topic by officials and single mothers. Concurrent education type for mother and children was more preferred and its appraisal was relatively high. for effectiveness in education, single mothers and officials both demanded more practical and easy understandable contents. According to above results, the concurrent-type program for strong mother-children relationships that emphasized communication skills, psychological strategies, and the importance of social support system was proposed.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.77-97
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• 2009

This study evaluates the poverty experiences of low-income single mothers according to the Capability Approach of Amartya Sen. In this approach, the capability to achieve the basic functionings of life, not income itself, is the criterion of poverty. 26 single mothers were interviewed using focus-group interviews and in-depth interviews. 21 functionings on the existence level, 18 on the relatedness level, and 15 on the growth level were found in the areas of work, health, food consumption, clothing, housing, child rearing, and leisure. The results of this study suggest that low-income single mothers can achieve only some of the existence level functionings with significant help from welfare services. They can scarcely achieve higher level functionings in any of these areas.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.159-193
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• 2018

This study aims to examine life experiences of single mothers according to three types of single parent families, divorced, widowed and unmarried and how they cope with their difficulties to become self-reliant and to identify strengths promoting self-reliance. The researchers analyzed personal, environmental and life factors by using the strengths perspective and discovered distinctive features of three types of single mothers that promote self-reliance. Data were collected by in-depth interviews with 20 single mothers, 4 widows, 8 divorced mothers and 8 unmarried single mothers. The results show that participants defined their experiences of self-reliance as a process to increase capability to accomplish their responsibilities as a mother, rather than as a completed goal. Increasing capability not only means achieving economic self-sufficiency, but also gaining psychosocial strengths that are developed by embracing one's own life, having sense of control and empowerment. This study identified commonalities and differences of strengths and resources and unique experiences of participants and proposed implications for policy and practice related to the roles of service delivery and support system.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.189-216
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• 2010

This study is to show the effect of single mothers' community participation on empowerment and the mediation effect of gender consciousness that mediate the causal relationship between this two variables defining the organization, which single mothers have been participated, as a community based on that there are common goals, emotional bond, and reciprocal action between the members. 439 single mothers, who have been participated in one of 14 organizations in Pusan and Gyeongnam, have been surveyed and the practice elements of emporwerment, gender consciousness, and empowerment have been analyzed from it. The results are first, There was significant differences at the practice elements of empowerment, gender consciousness, and empowerment according to the types of single mothers' community. Mostly it was high among job training type community and low among social welfare institution type community. Second, it has been shown that the determinant factors of empowerment are the degree of community participation and the practical elements of empowerment. Third, The changes in gender consciousness should be proceeded before that the practice of community empowerment, which the changes in gender consciousness represent the full mediation in the relationship between the practical elements and empowerment effect, leads the improvement of single mothers' empowerment.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.137-152
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• 2017

This study aims to explore life experience of divorced mothers' self-independence and to search for ways of helping their self-independence in social welfare practices. Researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 10 divorced mothers about life experience of psycho-social and economic spheres, child care, job experience, etc. The results of this study showed that the single mothers had experienced psychological distress of depression, feeling of reject and betrayal, difficulties in child care, and so on. They had experienced of various jobs to cope with economic difficulties. After divorce, they had explored informations and support resources to receive help for their children, and they endeavored to acquire a certificate of qualifications. They accepted their divorces in themselves and they rebuilt relationships with ex-husband, excised perceptions of self-control in finances and child discipline spheres. And they established of mid-to long-term life goals, and did not abandon their dreams and visions in despite of their poor qualities. Based on these results of this study, the ways of social welfare practices to help and support single mothers' self-independence were suggested in the conclusion part of this study.

• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.57
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• pp.39-67
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to gain a deep understanding of immigrant single mothers' parenting experiences. Seven immigrant single mothers were recruited as research participants. Data were collected by in-depth interviews which were conducted once or twice for each participant and analyzed by using a Giorgi's phenomenological method to delineate about participants' individual and unique experiences. Participants' statements were divided into 201 meaning units, which were analyzed into 29 sub-elements, 13 elements, and then structuralized with 5 intrinsic themes of 'marriage with unexpected hardships', 'troubled relationship with children due to emotional trauma', 'double whammy of being an immigrant woman and a single mother', 'struggles in becoming a head of household' and 'power of mothers' love for children'. Based on the above results, this study suggested some implications for social welfare policies and social work practices.

• The Korean Journal of Woman Psychology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.401-422
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• 2011

The present study investigated the mediating effects of parents' social networks on the relationship between parents' socioeconomic status and parent involvement. Parent involvement in the current study was composed of home-based and school-based involvement. Home-based involvement includes providing learning environment at home, guiding child's study habits, and providing educational and financial support. School-based involvement includes supporting child's school-related activities, participating at parent meetings and volunteering, and home-school communication. The subjects were 132 single mothers and 164 mothers from two-parent families, whose children are fifth and sixth graders in Seoul and Incheon. Structural Equational Modeling was used for the analysis by adopting SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0. The results showed that single mothers and mothers from two-parent families differ in their structural models. For mothers from two-parent families, socioeconomic status was directly related to home-based and school-based involvement. In contrast, single mother's socioeconomic status only influenced home-based and school-based involvement indirectly through the functional aspects of mother's social networks. The results suggest that parent counseling and parent education programs might be more effective if they encouraged single mothers to exchange resources through their social networks in order to promote parent involvement in elementary schools.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.565-583
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• 2023

This study sought to examine the effects of current single-parent family policies on the psychological adaptation of family members in single-parent homes, while also confirming that visitation and child support are indeed in the best interests of children in such cases. An online survey was conducted in 2021 for divorced single mothers and their children (aged 11 to 19) living in metropolitan regions (Seoul, Kyunggi, and Incheon). A total of 171 dyads, comprised of single mothers and their adolescent children, participated in this study. Using the collected data, descriptive statistical analysis and structural equation modeling were performed. The major results of this study are as follows. First, visitation with fathers was not significantly associated with self-esteem, aggression, or life satisfaction among the participating adolescent children. On the other hand, when child support was paid, aggression among adolescents was lower than when child support was not paid. Second, neither visitation nor child support was significantly associated with single mothers' levels of depression and life satisfaction. The enforcement of child support guarantees the welfare of children and conforms to the principle of promoting the best interests of minor children. Therefore, child support should be continuously encouraged and supported by agencies in accordance with current law. In order for the implementation of visitation to be in the best interest of the child, the amount and quality of visitation should be secured so that the child can still recognize their non-custodial parents as "caregivers."

• 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.