• Human Ecology Research
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.561-571
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• 2014

This study investigated the relationships between the husband's support, depression, parenting self-efficacy, and parenting behavior of Korean American mothers and their children's self-esteem. The participants were 113 Korean American child-mother dyads (grades 3-8) from Southern California, USA. The data, including the mothers' parenting behavior as assessed by their children, were collected from self-report questionnaires. A path analysis indicated that the effects of the above mentioned variables on the children's self-esteem depended on the subscale model of the parenting behavior. In every subscale model of parenting behavior, the husband's support was positively related to the parenting self-efficacy and the mother's depression was negatively related to the parenting self-efficacy. Further, in the warmth-acceptance model, the husband's support was positively related to the parenting behavior, the mother's depression was negatively related to the parenting behavior, parenting self-efficacy was positively related to both the parenting behavior and the children's self-esteem, and the parenting behavior was positively related to the children's self-esteem. In the rejection-restriction model, the husband's support was negatively related to the parenting behavior, the mother's depression was positively related to the parenting behavior, the parenting self-efficacy was negatively related to the parenting behavior and was positively related to the children's self-esteem, and the parenting behavior was negatively related to the children's self-esteem. In the permissiveness-nonintervention model, the parenting behavior was negatively related to the children's self-esteem. These results, particularly the dependence on the subscale model of parenting behavior, will be helpful in understanding the effects of parenting on Korean American children's self-esteem.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.47-59
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• 2003

The influence of depression, self-esteem, and well-being components of maternal psychological environment on child behavior problems was examined in Korean and American populations. Findings were that the level of mother's self-esteem was lower in Korean than in American mothers; the level of mother's "autonomy" and "environmental mastery" was lower in Korean than in American mothers; and "somatic complaints" were more frequent in the Korean group. The relationship between maternal psychological environment and child behavior problems was greater in the American group. In the Korean group, autonomy and enviornmental mastery were negative components causing both internalized and externalized behavor problems in children. Mothers' depression was the most powerful variable, affecting internalized and externalized behavior problems in both Korean and American groups.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.183-194
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to explore the ideas about Korean-American mother's school-age child rearing that are represented on internet community. The method used for this study was content analysis and the data consisted of articles about Korean-American mother's school-age child rearing on a internet community bulletin board during 1 year in 2008. It was found that these articles dealt with problems of practice in interfacing between home and social institutions(Especially school), teaching, counseling, nurturing and disciplining. For example, 831 articles put great emphasis on interfacing between home and social institutions, 339 on teaching, 268 on counseling with children. From these results, we might conclude that many Korean-American mothers gave their children school related care.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.189-197
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• 1986

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the nature and relationship of attitudes of mothers and their daughters concerning the value of children. the secondary interest was to compare this study with the American studies done by Bormann & Stockdale(1979), and Leavy & Hough(1983). Subjects for the study were college-age daughters their married sisters, and their mothers. The“Fawcett Opinions about Children Questionnair”was used to measure beliefs about children. Pearson Product Moment Correlations were computed for mother-daughter(married), mother-daughter(unmarried), and daughter(married)-daughter (unmarried) on each of nine subscales on value of children. To study the generation differences and marriage differences, matched sample t-test were carried. Several significant relationships were found for mother-daughter (married), daughter(married)-daughter (unmarried) pairs. Only one significant relationship was found for mother-daughter(unmarried) pairs. Significant differences were found between mother's group and daughters' groups on most subscales except one or two (generation effect). Significant differences were found between married daughters and unmarried daughters on 4 subscales(marriage effect). The results did not corroborate the findings of American studies which revealed the lack of congruence between mother and daughter attitudes. It was noted that as daughters had children themselves, their attitudes toward children had become more congruent with their mothers. There was also evidence to support the generation differences between mothers and daughters values. It was concluded that both value similarity and generation differences vary as a function of the particular events as well as age-itself.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1631-1643
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• 2016

Depressive symptoms are one of the biggest mental health issues among Korean American adolescents. Previous studies have found that parental warmth and intergenerational family conflict have a major impact on depressive symptoms among Korean American adolescents. This cross-sectional study examines the mediation effects of intergenerational family conflict between perceived parental warmth and depressive symptoms among 97 Korean American adolescents aged 14 to 18 years old in the Pacific Northwest region. The results revealed that 60% of participants experienced depressive symptoms. In addition, mother-adolescent conflict significantly mediated between perceived parental warmth and depressive symptoms while father-adolescent conflict did not significantly mediate. The finding suggests the need to develop intervention programs for Korean American adolescents and their parents that focus on creating an understanding of the difference between Korean culture and American culture, identifying early signs of depressive symptoms, and decreasing intergenerational family conflict by teaching parents to express parental warmth effectively.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.41-59
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• 2009

The purpose of this ethnography is to describe and analyze the wild-goose mother's everyday life, her family relationships, and her social networking. Thirteen mothers from New York, California, and Texas, U.S.A., were interviewed with an unstructured questionnaire. Their residency and everyday schedules are arranged around the children's educational conditions. They have experienced difficult relationships with Korean American immigrants, Korean students, other wild-goose mothers, and Americans. They have failed to develop their social capital effectively due to the language barrier and a cultural capital deficiency. As a kind of family strategy, this separation sometimes strengthens the spousal relationship, preventing divorce, but usually weakens the emotional ties and quality of communication between husband and wife. The acculturation gap between the mother and her children may cause the mother to become alienated and exacerbate the generational conflict.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.121-130
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• 1997

This study investigated differences in the topic performance of 3-year-old Korean and American children. Sixteen mother and child dyads (8 Americans and 8 Koreans) were tape-recorded during naturally occurring conversations. The cape-recorded data were transcribed on the observational chechlist by Kertoy Vetter(1995). Korean children engaged in topic performance nearly twice as often as American children. Korean children engaged in topic termination/initiation and continuation more often than American children. Also, Korean children engaged in topic collaboration and incorporation more often than American children, but there was no difference in off-topic.

• Child Studies in Asia-Pacific Contexts
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.91-107
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• 2012

This study aimed to understand communicative and socialization practices of immigrant bilingual families in everyday learning situations by examining interactions between parents and children in the United States. Drawn on language socialization theory and socio-cultural factors influencing immigrants, this study explored how three Korean American mothers struggled as they helped their children with homework by interviewing the mothers and observing mother-child interaction during homework time. The study paid attention to the emotional values of immigrant parents that they tried to teach their children who are members in two distinctive communities, such as Korean American and mainstream American. The findings showed that parental socialization practices had effects on children's emotional and social competence and at the same time the socialization process was bidirectional. Mothers started with Korean values, but they faced challenges with the English language, different demands for American homework, and children's rejection of their attempts. Mothers needed to change their strategy and borrow American ways of keeping emotional distance from their children by acknowledging their independence. Their struggles are discussed with attention to their language choice and culture.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.111-121
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to examine how immigrant Korean American parents' aspirations for children's educational attainment are related to their childrearing behavior, their beliefs about the nature of children's intelligence, their level of acculturation, and their beliefs about achievement. One hundred and twenty five immigrant Korean mothers in the United States participated in the study. The present study found that parental expectation for a daughter's educational attainment was significantly related to the mother's educational level. The results of regression analysis also indicated that for daughters, the significant predictors for parents' aspirations for children's educational attainment were the mothers' educational level and parental beliefs about achievement; for sons, significant predictors were the mothers' educational level and parental nurturance.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.21
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• pp.139-164
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• 2010

Sung Yung Shin was adopted as a Korean infant to an American family. She is now one of the most important writers in Asian American literary field. This paper analyzes the characteristics of her literature, focusing on Skirt full of Black (poetry)and Cooper's Lesson(children's book). Sun Yung Shin uses collage in Skirt full of Black as an effective rhetorical device because it can express her experience as an adopted other in the multicultural American society. She rewrites the fairy tale of Swan Prince in the viewpoint of silence. For a yellow Asian adopted woman, speaking is suppressed. In the end, the attempt to escape from silence is the writer's resisting activity, and the rewriting of the tale is her questioning in place of the princess. I analyses Cooper's Lesson in the viewpoint of transcultural assimilation. Cooper's lesson is accomplished not by his white father but by a Korean settler, Mr. Lee. Cooper's family is a hybrid composed of white American father, Korean mother, and their half son. So this family has many complicated difficulties, though it's small. Mr. Lee who accepted a new language to establish a new identity teaches Cooper the importance of cultural assimilation, which is not a one-sided integration to dominant culture but an intercultural communion while sustaining each culture's singularity. Cooper learns that he should live in an harmonious and balanced life in a multi-cultural society while keeping his own subjective point of view.