Influence of hardiness, mother-child interactions, and social support on parenting stress among North Korean refugee mothers: a cross-sectional study

Factors influencing children's emotional and behavioral problems perceived by North Korean refugee mothers: a descriptive study

PURPOSE

The study investigated the relationships between key variables, including the level of parenting knowledge, acculturative stress, depression, and the strengths and difficulties associated with their children's emotions and behavior, among North Korean refugee mothers who faced the challenging task of adapting to Korean society while raising their children.

METHODS

A descriptive study design was used. Data were collected from 130 North Korean refugee mothers between September and November 2023.

RESULTS

The participants had very limited parenting knowledge, and 82.3% of them scored 21 or higher on the depression scale used in community epidemiological studies. Higher levels of parenting knowledge and lower levels of depression were associated with lower levels of acculturative stress. Moreover, higher levels of depression were associated with more emotional and behavioral difficulties in children. Maternal depression, age, and employment status were identified as factors that influenced emotional and behavioral problems in preschool-aged children.

CONCLUSION

These findings underscore the importance of providing parent education and mental health support programs for North Korean refugee families in order to improve parents' parenting skills and emotional well-being.

Knowledge of atopic dermatitis and food allergies, as well as health information literacy, among North Korean refugee mothers: a descriptive survey study

PURPOSE

This study investigated knowledge of atopic dermatitis and food allergies, as well as health information literacy, among North Korean refugee mothers with preschool-age children and explored how these variables were related to participants' characteristics.

METHODS

A descriptive study design was used. Data from 130 North Korean refugee mothers were collected between January and March 2023.

RESULTS

The mean scores were 14.48 of 30 for atopic dermatitis knowledge; 2.77 of 10 for food allergy knowledge, and 56.95 of 80 for health information literacy. Significant differences were observed in knowledge of atopic dermatitis based on breastfeeding duration (F=4.12, p=.009), and in knowledge of food allergies based on mixed feeding (F=3.11, p=.049). Health information literacy showed significant relationships with education level (F=3.76, p=.026), occupation (F=3.99, p=.021), checking nutritional information (t=2.91, p=.004), mixed feeding (F=4.50, p=.014), and atopic dermatitis diagnosis (t=6.86, p=.001). Significant positive correlations were observed between atopic dermatitis knowledge, food allergy knowledge, and health information literacy.

CONCLUSION

Personalized educational programs should be implemented to improve awareness of allergies and health information literacy among North Korean refugee mothers, which would help them find, evaluate, and understand health-related information. These programs should focus on providing nutrition and dietary education to promote healthy growth in children and prevent diseases.

Knowledge, confidence, and educational needs of newborn care among North Korean refugee women: a descriptive study

PURPOSE

North Korean refugee women struggle with the double burden of adaptation and parenting as mothers in a new environment. This study aimed to identify the knowledge, confidence, and educational needs regarding newborn care among North Korean refugees, and to determine differences between these variables according to participants' characteristics.

METHODS

Data were collected from September to October 2022, and 150 North Korean refugee women recruited using convenience sampling participated in the study. Descriptive statistics, the t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation analysis were used for data analysis.

RESULTS

The mean scores were as follows: parenting knowledge, 14.97 out of 25; infection prevention knowledge and confidence, 20.09 out of 33 and 51.37 out of 80, respectively; and educational needs, 245.86 out of 310. Significant differences were observed in newborn care, knowledge, and confidence according to maternal age, educational level, family structure, and pregnancy history. Significant positive correlations were observed between the participants' newborn care knowledge, confidence, and educational needs.

CONCLUSION

Personalized educational programs should be implemented to enhance North Korean refugee women's confidence in newborn care, focusing on areas with low knowledge levels and high educational needs and enabling women to achieve healthy pregnancy and childbirth, and to parent well.