• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.59-78
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• 2015

This study aims to explore the relationship between North Korean refugee mothers' perceived home psychological characteristics and ego-resilience of their young children focusing on moderating effect of social support. For this purpose, we sampled 96 North Korean refugee mothers with 3-5 year old children. Home psychological characteristics consisting of family strength, family environment and family functioning, social support, and ego-resilience was analyzed by Pearson correlation analyses and hierarchical regression method. The results of this study were as follows. First, there is a significant correlation between North Korean refugee mothers' perceived home psychological characteristics and ego-resilience of their young children. Second, the perceived factors by North Korean refugee mothers of home psychological characteristics explained their young children's self-resilience 73.4% of the time and social support had a significant moderating effect. These results suggest that more effective social support to North Korean refugees has to be offered. Not only financial but emotional support is also needed.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was done to develop a theory on the early childhood caring experience of North Korean refugee mothers and how such caring affects how they deal with the socio-psychological problems they face as North Korean refugees. Methods: Data were gathered by indepth interviews, participant observation, and medical records, and were analyzed using the Grounded Theory methods of Strauss and Corbin (1998). Results: From open coding 62 concepts, 23 subcategories and 11 categories were derived, and the North Korean refugee mothers' caring experience was revealed to be 'hopeful upbringing'. A central theme common to the participants was 'coexistence of expectations and worries'. Conclusion: The results of this study provide theoretical grounds to understand North Korean refugee mothers' child care experiences and offer personalized nursing and a deeper understanding of their needs by looking at their experience. Findings may also be useful to help nurses who care for North Korean refugee mother-child dyads in the community and in clinical settings to gain insight on this special needs group, and facilitate the development of interventions based on better understanding of the mothers' experiences.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.201-228
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• 2013

The research goal of this study is to investigate the realities and difficulties of English education for young children of North Korean refugee mothers. The subjects of this study were 201 North Korean refugee mothers of 3-5-year-old children. They were surveyed and some of them were interviewed on their children's English education. The results of the study are as follows. First, most of the North Korean refugee mothers in this study provided their children with English education since their children were 3 years old. The major reason for the English education was their children's peer group who received English education early in their lives. Their educational interaction periods with their children were less than 10 minutes, and they had their young children study English alone, focusing solely on their assignment. Next, North Korean refugee mothers claimed that the biggest difficulties for teaching English to their children were cost, lack of information, lack of time to teach English, and unsatisfactory English education. They expressed that the cost for English education was a burden on the family to some extent.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.103-122
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to identify the variables affecting parenting efficacy of North Korean refugee mothers. The selected variables were marital satisfaction, social support, and acculturation. The participants consisted of 105 mothers who had defected from North Korea with preschool children living in Seoul, Gwangmyeong-si, and Gyeongsangnam-do provinces. The data thus collected were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-tests, correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that the marital satisfaction and social support had meaningfully positive effects on the parenting efficacy of North Korean refugee mothers. However, marginalization was found to be a predictor of competence-anxiety in parenting. The selected variables derived from the environmental systems in maternal parenting were significant factors in the parenting efficacy of North Korean refugee mothers and furthermore, their sociocultural environments were also important in parenting. These findings clearly showed that marital satisfaction and social support were the most significant variables of parenting efficacy of North Korean refugee mothers. The results of this study appear to have a great deal of utility as preliminary data to improve the parenting efficacy of North Korean refugee mothers.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.13-27
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• 2012

This study explored the parental belief types of mothers who had defected from North Korea and found out its relationship to the mother's child-rearing behaviors and socio-demographical variables and the child's age. 89 mothers who had defected from North Korea with the youngest child being under 20 years old, responded to the questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed by cluster analysis, MANOVA, and $X^2$-test. The results showed that the parental beliefs were clustered into 3 types: 'high child- and parent-centered & low cultural transformation'(cluster 1)(37.08%), 'low child- and parent-centered & middle cultural transformation'(cluster 2)(46.03%), and 'high child- and parent-centered & high cultural transformation'(cluster 3)(16.85%). The differences among the clusters were found in the warmth-acceptance and rejection-restriction dimensions of the mother's child-rearing behaviors. The frequencies of each cluster were meaningfully different depending on the mother's age, educational level, length of residence in South Korea, and their child's age. Based on these findings, the implications and suggestions were discussed.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.360-368
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between parenting behavior, parenting efficacy, adaptation stress and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) among mothers who have defected from North Korean. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted to illustrate the parenting behavior, parenting efficacy, adaptation stress and PTSD and report the relationships among them. Data were collected between August and November of 2009 in Hanawon and 105 mothers who met eligibility criteria participated in the study. Results: Ignorant/controlling parenting behavior of parenting showed the highest score in our study. The level of parenting efficacy was $2.72{\pm}0.36$ and adaptation stress level was $3.35{\pm}0.47$ showing perceived hostility the highest and homesickness the lowest. Participants with moderate to severe PTSD accounted for 79.5% of the mothers, and 75% of them reported symptoms for 3 months or more. Authoritative parenting behavior showed negative relationships with parenting efficacy, cultural crisis and fear, adaptation stress and PTSD. Conclusion: Mothers who have defected from showed negative parenting behaviors and high adaptation stress level and PTSD while parenting efficacy was high. These findings indicate that parenting intervention programs which can guide these mothers towards positive parenting behaviors need to be developed.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.41-69
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to promote the use of cultural facilities of North Korean refugee mothers with young children by finding out their past experience of cultural facility use. The subjects of this study were 183 North Korean refugee mothers with young children and a total of four research participants. A survey and in-depth interviews were used to draw reliable research results. The research results are as follows: First, as to uses of cultural facilities, North Korean refugee mothers with young children got information about cultural facilities through the Internet community such as Internet cafes and blogs. Their considerations for using cultural facilities were diversity of activity programs and subdivision of performances and arts activities. Over 50% of mothers responded that cultural facilities were needed to enhance the creativity of their children. Second, concerning difficulties of cultural facility use, the most difficulty was high costs, and the second most difficulty was absence of cultural facilities nearby their residence. Third, as to the needs of cultural facility use, a children's library was needed the most for children's development. They responded that the most necessary policy for cultural facility use was to increase cultural vouchers for low-income households and to expand recipients of these vouchers.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.636-652
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• 2018

This study is about applying the concept of moral injury in reinterpreting and understanding the experience of female North Korean refugees who have experienced psychological trauma and are struggling with adjusting in their everyday lives. The database KISS and DBpia were used to search for academic peer-reviewed articles published before August 13th in 2017, using 'female or women North Korean,' 'female or women relocated North Korean,' and 'female or women North Korean defector' as keywords. In total 51 studies were finally selected for content analysis and the result were the following. First, listing from the most often occurring study topic to the least occurring topic in order: post-defection adjustment related, mothering experience, experience of North Korean regime and Korean War, work or job or employment related, recovering from psychological trauma as well as growth and resilience related, experiences in China, trauma and psychological difficulties, anxiety treatment process and effects. Second, words related to psychological aspect of moral injury appeared 260 times in 51 selected studies, changes in the existential belief appeared 82 times, cognitive aspects of moral injury appeared 71 times, and behavioral aspects 21 times. Third, two main contexts emerged to be the antecedent that led to moral injury and they were 'identity denial' and 'dismantled family.' In attempts to find opposite cases or stories where aspects of moral injury were not found despite the existence of its antecedents and it was 'identity restructuring.' Based on the finding, practice implications that could help female North Korean refugees prevent or recover from moral injury were suggested.