• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.419-439
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• 2012

Family dissolution and economic difficulties of the grandchild's parents are the most prevailing reason for an increase of grandparent-headed families in rural Korea. However, there is a lack of empirical research looking at the experiences of custodial grandmothers, social support, and their psychological well-being. In this regard, this study examined the effect of social support (formal & informal) on the psychological well-being of custodial grandmothers in rural Korea. For this purpose, quantitative and qualitative research methods were conducted. Quantitative data were gathered, using structured questionnaire, from 311 grandmothers who were raising their grandchildren in rural Korea as primary care-givers. Statistical methods used for data analysis were descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression analysis with SPSS WIN 19.0 programs. Qualitative data were collected by in-depth interviews to 10 custodial grandmothers in rural area. The results of this study are as follows. First, almost half of the parents of the grandchild didn't visit and didn't call anymore. Some relatives -aunt, uncle, etc.- support the grandparent-headed family economically and emotionally. 3/4 of the grandparent-headed families were supported by the government and community. This was not small numbers, but the amount of economic support was low. Second, grandmothers in the study showed quite a high level of depression while their happiness level was relatively low. There were differences in the factors influencing the level of happiness/depression of these rural grandmothers. Overall, the study's results showed the importance of formal & informal support for psychological well-being of the custodial grandmothers in rural Korea. Policy and theoretical implications are discussed.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.27 no.spc
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• pp.557-571
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• 2016

This study examined the effects of the actor and partner according to the activity immersion conflict perceived by rural multicultural couples in terms of the self-esteem and happiness using Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). For this purpose, the data of 482 persons from 241 husband-immigrant women dyads were analyzed. As results of the analysis, only the effect of the actor among the actor and partner effect according to the activity immersion conflict affected the self-esteem significantly in both husband and immigrant women. Conflict, namely the actor and partner effect, affected the happiness in both the husband and immigrant women significantly. Second, the difference in the actor conflict level on activity immersion perceived by the couple according to the women's native country was significant in both husband and immigrant women. The level of actor conflict was highest in Vietnamese husbands and the Philippine women. On the other hand, the difference in the partner conflict level on the activity immersion according to the women's native country was significant only in the women, and the level of Vietnamese women was highest. Therefore, the characteristics in the level of actor and partner conflict on activity immersion was caused by the difference in the number of activity organizations participating between the husband and women. Based on the results, this study suggests some measures to reduce the conflict of couples through activity. In addition, some plans for a follow-up study using APIM are suggested.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.795-809
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• 2015

The suicide rate in South Korea has been the highest among the OECD countries for more than 10 years. In addition, the suicide rate among the rural elderly is much higher than that of the elderly in urban areas and that of younger generations. The purpose of this study was to examine the general tendencies of family ties, community consciousness and suicide ideation of the rural elderly in Korea. Also, this study aimed to verify the mediating effect of community consciousness between family ties and suicidal ideation. The data for this study came from 283 elderly people (over 65 years old) living in 11 villages in South Korea. The data was gathered from July to August 2013. Baron and Kenny's (1986) step based regression from the SPSS Win 18.0 program was used to analyze this data. This study also utilized the Sobel-test. The results of this study are as follows. First, the suicidal ideation of the respondents had a lower score than the median score. However, the magnitude of suicidal ideation was still significant. Second, this study found that family ties and community consciousness have both direct and indirect effects on the reduction of suicidal ideation. Lastly, this study examined the mediating effects of community consciousness. The findings of this study are of great significance because they reconfirmed the importance of establishing a social safety net in local communities to replace adult children who have relocated to urban areas.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.2
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• pp.60-76
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• 1995

The purpose of this study was to analysis level on family caregiver's burden for the elderly with senile dementia in a rural area and to choose priority care group, thereby facilitating the development of interventions to reduce the caregiver's burden. For this purpose, data were collected by questionaire from June 10 to October 8, 1994. The instruments for data collection were Caregiver Burden Inventory by Novak(1989) and Zarit et al(1982), severity of dementia by Hughes Scales (1982), ADL by Lawton (1971), patients' family caregiving activity by pre-survey and reference review(Lee, 1993 ; Jang, 1990 ; Yoo, 1982). The subjects were 60 family caregiver of senile dementia in a rural area. The data was analysed by the use of t-test, ANOVA, correlation and multiple regression. The results were as follows : 1. Total burden was evaluated over average, the mean of family burden was 61.24. 2. Significant variables which were correlated to the family caregiver's burden were the severity of dementia(F=30.52, p<0.001), ADL(F=5.43, p<0.01), PADL(F=6.14, p<0.01), caregiver's health status(F=6.05, p<0.01), a view of patient's prognosis(F=4.08, p<0.05), the number of hours per day spent on caregiving(F=19.64, p<0.001), level of intimacy of caregiver and patients(F=7.16, p<0.001), the frequency of caregiving activity(F=5.31, p<0.01). 3. ADL was the most important predictor to family caregiver burden(R2=0.6611). In addition to this, the severity of dementia, level of intimacy of caregiver and patient, relationship with the patient accounted for 79% of family caregiver burden. 4. The criteria of priority care group were as follows ; the mean of family caregiver burden was above 58, above of moderate ADL, the number of hours per day spent on caregiving above of 8 hours, above of moderate dementia. By the the severity of dementia, number of priority care group, mild dementia was 10(43.4%), moderate dementia 23 (92.0%), sever dementia 12(100.0%).

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.38 no.10
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• pp.157-180
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• 2000

This study focused on the disintegration and reconstruction of the family/kinship structure among the rural families of Korea. For this study, detailed data about the value related to the family/kinship, the family relationship, The attitude of divorce and remarriage, the social network, and the family/kin rites are gathered A total 593 subjects completed structured questionnaires. Major conclusion of the study are as follows : First, most of the rural respondents are found to support familism and boy preference slightly, and not to agree the reward of child value. So, their attitudes toward traditional values are changing slowly than urban residents. Second, the rural respondents shared the common perceptions that spousal and parent-child relationships has been changed toward the direction that the positions of wives and children are respected and the their influences are increased in the past 10 years. In addition, generational differences in the perceptions of relationship change and appropriate roles of wives and husbands are discovered. However, sex differences previously revealed in Seoul study were not found in the case of rural respondents. Third, generally, there are both remaining and changing aspects of conservative attitude toward divorce and remarriage, the level of change is different according to age and sex. And the difference by age is stronger than by sex. Fourth, the social networks of the respondents is characterized by two distinct trends, namely, strong parent-adult child ties and the close relationships between neighbors. fifthly, in the family/kin rites, traditional aspects coexist with changing aspects under the influence of industrialization and westernization. But the aspects of attitudes toward rites, it is showed the non-traditional tendency. Respondents who support westernization and socialization of family rites are young, highly eamed, and Christian.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.625-640
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of family support and participation in activities on the improvement in interpersonal relationships perceived by rural multicultural and non-multicultural household adolescents and compare the results with the perspective of Sullivan and Bowlby. For this purpose, the data of 403 persons from multicultural households and 348 persons from non-multicultural households were analyzed and several conclusions were drawn. Firstly, the family support variable had the greatest effect on the improvement in interpersonal relationships in both the rural multicultural and non-multicultural household adolescents. Secondly, the number of activities experienced at home significantly affected the improvement in interpersonal relationships in both types of adolescent. The effects of age, number of friends, and number of traditional activities on the improvement in interpersonal relationships differed for each type of household adolescent. And to conclude, the significant factors affecting the interpersonal relationships of the rural adolescents were their family and parents. Therefore, this study supports Bowlby's perspective on adolescents' interpersonal relationships. Based on the results, this study proposed plans to improve the interpersonal relationships of rural adolescents through family support and activity participation. Also, a plan for follow-up studies was suggested.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.507-520
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• 2008

The two districts, 'Xita' and 'Manrong' in Shenyang City, the cases of this study, form ethnic enclave economies revolving around small business enterprises run by Korean Chinese. This ethnic enclave economy appeared as Korean Chinese came to have 'double ethnic resources'-Korean Chinese and Koreans living in China, and to play the role of middlemen. This was helped by the Chinese government's encouragement(to attract the capitals of South Korea), and the experiences of Korean Chinese who had played in South Korea. This 'double ethnic enclave economy' has put Korean Chinese in a position where they cooperate with Koreans in China on the one hand, but are forced to compete with them on the other. For the development of a Chinese Korean economy, therefore, it is needed to enhance the cooperation with Koreans living in China within the ethnic enclave economies and at the same time to increase economic activities outside of the enclave economy.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2012

Objectives: To survey the awareness of patient to scrub typhus to provide data for education and communication concerning scrub typhus. Methods: Patients with scrub typhus (case group, n=299) and people without scrub typhus within the previous 2 years (control group, n=598) were matched for age (within 5 years), gender, and occupation (farmer or non-farmer). The participants were recruited from 15 study areas between October and December 2006. Results: The awareness rate of scrub typhus was 75.1%, and was significantly higher than in the case group (79.4% vs. 66.6%, respectively; p<0.01). The major routes of awareness were from 'past history of scrub typhus in family members or neighbors' (54.9%), 'television' (28.3%), and their past history of scrub typhus (5.5%). The average correct rate of scrub typhus was 48.4%, and the correct response rate of cases was significantly higher than controls (p<0.01). Especially, the correct rate of etiology, incubation period, route of transmission, and acquired immunity was <40%. Through conditional logistic regression test, the factor significantly associated with awareness in case group was age (odds ratio [OR], 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94-0.98). And the factors associated with awareness in control group were female (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.03-2.36) age (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99), family history of scrub typhus (OR, 10.18; 95% CI, 1.37-75.99), history of receiving prevention education (OR, 8.47; 95% CI, 1.14-63.00). Conclusions: The rate of awareness was relatively low in study population. Thus, effective working guidelines and educational program to prevent scrub typhus must be developed, and publicity activities about the prevention of scrub typhus are needed for high-risk groups.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.12-22
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• 2012

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the nutritional risk, health status and depression levels of young-old (65-74 years) and old-old (75-84 years) women on low-income. Methods: A total of 624 elderly women, each over 65 years of age, participated in this study under the auspices of a community social center. Data were collected from June to August 2011 by means of personal interviews which employed questionnaires. The research tools used in this study were the nutritional risk measuring Mini Nutritional Assesment (MNA) by Kim (2000), perceived health status developed by Lawton et al. (1982), Elderly Depression Criterion developed by Sheikh & Yesavage (1985). The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS WIN 12.0 Program. Results: Nutritional risk, perceived health status and depression levels showed a significant difference between young-old and old-old. There was a positive correlation between nutritional risk and depression and a negative correlation between nutritional risk and perceived health status. A 38.2% variance in depression levels of young-old and a 29.7% variance in depression levels of old-old were explained by perceived health status, nutritional risk and the number of people living together. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate variances in depression levels among low - income women differing in age. As a result, the outcomes of this study ought to be employed in the development of future programs aimed at promoting the health of elderly women.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.91-100
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• 2004

Objectives: This study was conducted to compare the present community health practitioners(CHPs)'s operating activities with their activity in 1989. Methods: Data were obtained two hundred seventy eight CHPs by self-administered questionnaire regarding duty traits, job satisfaction, and others. Results: The number of CHPs was 255 in 1989 and 224 in 2000. Age of CHPs in 2000 was much higher than that in 1989, and married women was 64.9% in 1989 and 95.9% in 2000. Both the primary duty of CHPs in 1989 and that in 2000 was medical service, and others(maternal health, infant health, family planning, and tuberculosis management, etc) are decreased in 2000, and community health service was added to duty of CHPs in 2000. 55% of CHPs in 1989 satisfied with their job, whereas about 80% of CHPs in 2000 satisfied with their job. The CHPs perceived that their primary necessary duty among requisite duty are medical practice(57.7%), health education(31.4%), and community health service(10.9%), in contrast, unnecessary duty are family planning(68.8%), tuberculosis management(11.1%), infant health(6.3%) maternal health(5.6%). Conclusions: These results suggest that there are such alteration of job satisfaction, needs and obstacles in duty traits of CHFs. These trend of duty traits are major issues to be caught for the health service in primary health post.