"She Has the Japanese Style": Parenting by Japanese Immigrant Women in Korea from the Perspective of Their Children

This study looks into the parenting beliefs and behavior of female Japanese immigrants, who have stayed in Korea for more than 20 years, and attempts to explore factors for their distinct parenting style compared to their Korean counterparts. In Korea and Japan, a mother’s parenting is seen as crucial, while paternal responsibility is considered minimal. There are few studies that look into parenting patterns of Japanese immigrant women in Korea, especially from the perspective of their children. The study is based on in-depth interviews and participant observation in 2014 with 21 young Japanese-Korean adults recruited through snowball sampling. In raising children, the priorities of mothers were not academic but instead focused on children’s autonomy, wholesome personality, religiosity, various life experiences, maintaining health, and non-intervention. The mothers’ own cultural background and strong Japanese identity, limited interaction with Korean mothers or exclusive interaction with Japanese mothers, the role of the father figure as only a breadwinner, and mothers’ strong devotion to church activities tend to influence their parenting. An exploration of the mechanisms behind the differences in their styles of parenting is important before judging their parenting to be improper or maladjusted. Understanding parenting styles of families from diverse backgrounds helps to understand what society will look like in the near future.

Level of Acculturation and Acculturative Stress Perceived by Asian Immigrant Women Married to South Korean Men

INTRODUCTION

Married immigrant women experience cultural conflicts due to different values, and customs. This study examined the factors associated with the acculturation and acculturative stress of Asian immigrant women in South Korea.

METHOD

A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed. A total of 142 participants were recruited from Incheon Multicultural Centers in 2016 using a convenience sampling method. Acculturation and acculturative stress were measured by Suinn-Lew Self-Identity Acculturation Scale and Social Attitudinal Familial Environment. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis.

RESULTS

Time since immigration was negatively associated with the level of acculturation, while alcohol consumption (p < .050). Some demographic variables (age, religion, anxiety, and time since immigration) were associated with acculturative stress (p < .050).

DISCUSSION

These findings can help health care providers to increase their awareness and be more sensitive when providing services to these women.

Factors affecting the self-rated health of immigrant women married to native men and raising children in South Korea: a cross-sectional study

Background

Since the influx of international immigrants to South Korea (Korea) in the 1980s, the number of immigrants married to native Koreans has increased substantially over the last 30 years. This study aims to provide recent evidence on the self-rated health of immigrant women married to native men and raising children. We evaluated the self-rated health of immigrant women sorted by their country of origin and elucidated factors that affect their self-rated health.

Methods

Data were obtained from the 2015 Korean National Multi-Cultural Family Survey. From the survey, a total of 6960 Korean-Chinese, Han-Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Filipino women were identified and a series of logistic regressions was conducted to elucidate factors that affected the self-rated health of immigrant women.

Results

The majority of immigrant women in Korea perceived that they are healthy. However, the self-rated health of immigrant women varied by country of origin. Korean-Chinese and Japanese immigrants are less likely to perceive that they are healthy compared with Filipino and Vietnamese immigrants. We identified several factors at the individual, household, and community levels and found that the majority of them are likely to be ethnic dependent. However, satisfaction with husband and experience of unmet medical needs presented consistent results in the five ethnicity groups.

Conclusions

Programs that strengthen spousal relationships and policies to enhance access to healthcare could be prioritized options to improve the self-rated health of immigrant women in Korea.

Social support, acculturation stress, and parenting stress among marriage-migrant women

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships between social support, acculturation stress, and the parenting stress of marriage-migrant women.

BACKGROUND

Marriage-migrant women with preschool children appear to experience acculturation and parenting stress. Persistent stress conditions could lead to serious psychological problems. Nevertheless, little is known about the relationship between their stress and social support alleviating stress.

METHODS

A questionnaire survey was conducted among 284 marriage-migrant women with preschool children in South Korea, using a questionnaire translated into Chinese, Vietnamese, English, and Korean. A trained research assistant read the questionnaire and asked participants to provide their responses.

RESULTS

A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that acculturation stress was associated with parenting stress among marriage-migrant women with preschool children, and that acculturation stress was mostly associated with social support. A Sobel test indicated that the effect of social support on parenting stress significantly declined when acculturation stress was treated as a mediator of that relationship. Acculturation stress was a mediator between social support and parenting stress.

CONCLUSION

Nurses must understand the dual stress of acculturation and parenting among marriage-migrant women with preschool children. Furthermore, efforts to support the parenting of marriage-migrant women with preschool children must consider acculturation stress as a major risk factor of parenting stress. Mental health nurses are recommended to conceive programs that reduce the dual stress of acculturation and parenting, which could help improve the mental health of this group.

A qualitative review of immigrant women's experiences of maternal adaptation in South Korea

OBJECTIVE

to synthesise the evidence of immigrant women's experiences of maternal adaptation in Korea.

METHODS

eligible studies were identified by searching MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Korean electronic databases. Qualitative research studies, published in English and Korean addressing maternal adaptation experiences of immigrant women by marriage in Korea, were considered in the review. The suitability of the quality of articles was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Critical Appraisal Checklist. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria for data analysis. Authors, purpose of the study, study design, theoretical framework, population (nationality and sample size), data collection (setting and method), and main study findings were extracted and summarised in a data extraction form for further narrative analysis and synthesis. A qualitative systematic review was performed by means of thematic synthesis.

FINDINGS

the literature search identified 7,628 articles, of which 15 studies, published between 2009 and 2014, were evaluated in the systematic review. Two overarching categories including five themes were identified in the qualitative studies related to maternal adaptation experiences; 'Experiences of motherhood transition' and 'Experiences of child-rearing'.

CONCLUSIONS

these findings demonstrate the importance of understanding and improving maternal adaptation of immigrant women living in Korea. This can be achieved by enhancing social support, providing culturally sensitive maternal healthcare services, and expanding opportunities for immigrant women in education, job training, and economic independence.

Mediating Effect of School Nurses' Self Efficacy between Multicultural Attitude and Cultural Sensitivity in Korean Elementary Schools

PURPOSE

This study examined the mediating effect of school nurses' self efficacy, which is one of the significant cognitive factors influencing cultural sensitivity, on the mutual relationships between multicultural attitude and cultural sensitivity in Korean elementary schools.

METHODS

A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used. Participants were 157 school nurses in elementary schools located in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The survey instruments included Teacher Multicultural Attitude Survey, Teacher Efficacy Scale, and Multicultural Sensitivity Scale. Data were analyzed using three regression equations to test the mediation model.

RESULTS

The mean score of the school nurses' cultural sensitivity was relatively low. A positive correlation among multicultural attitude, self efficacy, and cultural sensitivity was noted. Self efficacy of school nurses showed a significant mediating effect on the relationships between multicultural attitude and cultural sensitivity.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the meaningful influence of positive multicultural attitude on cultural sensitivity and significant mediator effect of self efficacy as a school nurse between the two variables, the strategies to cultivate a positive multicultural attitude and enhance school nurses' self efficacy in their unique role should be considered in a training program. School nurses' health care services will benefit from the improvement of cultural sensitivity toward young children from multicultural families.