A Study of the Effect of Acculturative Stress on the Marital Conflicts of Immigrant Women Who Are Married to Korean Men -Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Social Support-

결혼이주여성의 문화적응스트레스가 부부갈등에 미치는 영향 -사회적 지지의 조절효과 중심으로-

  • 이영실 (성결대학교 사회과학대학 사회복지학부) ;
  • 조명희 (성결대학교 복지발전연구소) ;
  • 홍성희 (성결대학교 복지발전연구소)
  • Received : 2012.10.01
  • Accepted : 2012.11.22
  • Published : 2012.11.30

Abstract

This study focuses on immigrant women who are married to Korean men and who live in a multicultural family situation in Gyeonggi-do. These women experience acculturative stress and marital conflict and this study aims to determine how social support seeks to mediate the effects of those stressors. The women in this study participated in activities and received services from one of Gyeonggi-do Province's civic organizations, religious organizations, or social service organizations, such as the Social Welfare Agency and the Multicultural Family Support Center. In order to verify the study's hypothesis, the researchers used the following statistical analytical methods : t-test, two-way ANOVA and multi-regression analysis. Analysis of the study's results showed that the highest degree of marital conflict was found in the sub-zones and variables that were personal. Those variable were : the difference in mindset and values (personal domain), economic problems (communal living area), a child's upbringing and education issues (third party area), and the participant's sex life (in the marital relationship). The hypothesis was tested using the research model validation and the results are summarized as follows. First, in order to analyze the relationship between the marriage migration females' acculturative stress and the impact of that stress on marriage conflict, the hierarchical regression analysis was used. It identified that a direct correlation existed between acculturative stress and marriage conflict; where a higher degree of acculturative stress was present, a higher degree of marriage conflict was found. Second, the study found a statistical significance in the correlation and relationship (${\beta}$=.208, p<0.05) between the acculturative stress of the marriage migration female and material support. In other words, the material support can be seen as having a moderating effect on the acculturative stress, which is the independent variable, and the marital conflict, which is the dependent variable.

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