• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.402-412
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• 2011

Purpose: To describe the emergence of the North Texas Korean American Nurses Society (NTKANS) and to examine its sociocultural contributions to Korean immigrant societies in the U.S. for the last half century. Methods: The study used retrospective historical analysis to explore the first North Texas Korean immigrant nurses' footsteps. Using Christy's historical research methodology, this study explored themes found in the NTKANS Minutes, the directories, and newspapers, and compared them with historical nursing contexts found in documents, immigrant nurse's pictures, and letters. Interviews with twenty first immigrant Korean nurses, the members, were also use d as main data. Results: Since its emergence in 1969, the NTKANS have contributed to local Korean societies through community medical services, financial supports to local Korean associations, local publications, and opening Korean school. In addition, the society has contributed to the other Korean immigrant nursing societies in the U.S. Conclusion: The sociocultural contributions NTKANS had made to Korean immigrant societies were not possible without its members' enormous efforts, personal struggles, and altruistic dedications. The trials and tribulations these immigrant nurses have overcome and the achievements they made for last half century would greatly inspire students and nurses in Korea who may seek international leadership and scholarship.

• Asia-pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.131-139
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• 2016

This study explores role of self-efficiency in the career activities of marriage immigrant women. It is expected that self-efficiency would contribute to marriage immigrant women helping them to overcome the difficulties of their lives spontaneously and keep on their careers. For this, it was conducted that in-depth interview with seven marriage immigrant women. Conclusion was classified into two parts as following. The conclusion is from whether marriage immigrant woman has self-efficiency in her career purpose and career barrier. First, in the conclusion of career purpose, higher self-efficiency leads to constant career fulfillment and positive self image and lower self efficiency gives rise to absence of neighboring subgoal and discontinuity or lagging of personal career. Second, in the conclusion of career barrier, higher self-efficiency person would consider career barrier as an object to get over. On the contrary, lower self-efficiency person could not find the proper strategies to deal with career barrier and conform to the barrier and give up the career.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.561-571
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a newborn care education promotion program on child-rearing knowledge, child rearing stress, and child rearing self-efficacy of immigrant pregnant women. Methods: The subjects were 23 immigrant pregnant women who voluntarily participated in the study in D city. The program was provided, once a week for 90 minutes for a period of 3 weeks. The outcome variables were child-rearing knowledge, child-rearing stress, and child rearing self-efficacy. Data was collected from April 4 to June 24, 2011, through self-administered questionnaires. Results: The program significantly improved child rearing knowledge, child rearing stress, and newborn care self-efficacy for married immigrant pregnant women who participated in the program compared to women who did not participate. Conclusion: The results suggest that the reproductive health promotion program has an affirmative effect on child-rearing knowledge, child rearing stress, and child rearing self-efficacy of married immigrant pregnant women. It is suggested, therefore, that the educational program be presented to married immigrant woman at public health centers to enhance their confidence in child-rearing.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.69-90
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• 2014

This study focused on the adjustment of family living culture in relation to women who have immigrated for marriage. Specifically, it sought to determine how Vietnamese immigrant women understand and adapt to the culture of family life in Seoul, Korea. The investigation was conducted from 2 May to 30 May 2014, with 28 Vietnamese immigrant women as participants. Personal, family, social, and cultural factors affecting family life and culture were considered. It was determined that Vietnamese women can easily adapt to life in Korea to provide; the results of the material analysis are described below. First, Vietnamese immigrant women are satisfied with their economic life in Korea. In Vietnam, women have the right to marry Korean men if they want to. Vietnamese women are encouraged to marry want to marry a Korean man. Because they are satisfied with the present marriage. Second, migrant women learn to adapt to South Korean culture and food. However, cultural differences between a woman's husband and mother-in-law can become a source of conflict. Third, children of multicultural families easily accept Vietnamese people, since they are educated to do so through their Vietnamese mothers Vietnamese woman wants to teach their children the Vietnamese food and culture. Fourth, the Vietnamese immigrant women also participate in multicultural family support centers and communities. They want to become productive members of society through employment opportunities in South Korea. Fifth, the cultural and welfare policies of the government should be carried on so that migrant women are able to study cultural adaptation. This case study examined difficulties that Vietnamese immigrant women have in adjusting to life and culture in Korea. The findings could be used as a resource to help Vietnamese women living in Korea.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.241-251
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore preserved belief system supporting Korean immigrant women's Taekyo practices and influencing factors while they observe the tradition within US sociocultural context. Methods: Leininger's exploratory focused ethnographic approach was used. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with purposive sample of sixteen Korean immigrant women who gave birth in the US within last 6 months. Researcher's observation and reflective field notes were also integrated into the interview data. Leininger and McFarland's four phases of ethnographic analysis guided data analysis process. Results: The perceived belief system supporting Taekyo practices included Taekyo as an enculturated Korean tradition, connecting parents with fetus, and positive impacts on fetal development. And Korean immigrant women's Taekyo practices were influenced by resources of information, woman's orientation toward Taekyo, pressure from local Korean community, and child order. Conclusion: The findings from this research would serve as an important knowledge base to expand US health care providers' understanding of Korean traditional Taekyo practices observed by Korean immigrant women's as important prenatal self-care practices. The findings could also aid in providing more patient-centered and culturally-tailored prenatal care plan to Korean immigrant by including Korean traditional belief system supporting Taekyo practices.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.506-517
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the health management experience of Vietnamese Married Immigrant Women living in the city. Methods: The study participants were 11 Vietnamese immigrant women residing in the urban area who felt bad about their health. Data collection was conducted in depth through individual interviews, and the collected data were analyzed through Strauss & Corbin data analysis. Results: The core category was "health is not a necessity but a choice in a strange land called Korea". The contextual conditions were, "The hard thing-exposing "myself" to the world", and "Hurts hidden, to be away from people's eyes". For the causal condition, the categories of "Unfamiliar life to live alone", "Unfamiliar life different from expectation", and "Symptoms of body suddenly suffering alone", were derived. Through action-interaction, the immigrant women revealed that in their Korean social-structural context, they tended to follow "Health pushed away in turbulent life". The intervening conditions were "a person who is able to help me", "places that can give a helping hand nearby", and "Vietnamese women's grit". A Vietnamese married immigrant woman had her own "Health in the chain with life". As a result, they gained "Health, which is a top priority in life" or "Health oppressed by the weight of life". Conclusion: This study enhanced the understanding of the healthcare process of Vietnamese married immigrant women living in urban areas.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.61-72
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• 2010

Objectives: This study was peformed to identify the related factors on Vietnamese immigrant women's reproductive health problems. Survey Participants were 231 immigrant vietnamese woman who lived at six cities in Korea. Methods: The comprehensive PRECEDE model comprised of diagnosis and planning curricular targeted or immigrant women aged 15-49. Data collection was conducted by face-to-face interview survey. Results: 1. The influential variables of recognition of reproductive health problems from the logistic analysis were using contraceptives (p=0.002), relationships with partners (p=0.000), the need of family planning (p=0.007), social support (p=0.009). This means that they experienced reproductive health problems when they did not use contraceptives, did not need family planning, did not receive social support and had close relationships with their partners. Conclusion: The basic data were provided for prevention of reproductive health problems such as unwanted pregnancy and abortion, as well as improved understanding of the different views on pregnancy, birth culture and sexual and reproductive health between Korea and Vietnam.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.312-325
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate dietary behaviors and nutritional knowledge among immigrant women in multicultural families. In addition, this study reveals a necessity for nutrition education, which is apparent to both immigrant women living in multicultural families as well as nutrition education experts. The survey was conducted with 30 immigrant women within multicultural families in Seoul. The dietary behaviors of the women were significantly different by their period of residence. The longer they had resided in Korea, the higher their dietary behavior score. However, there was no significant difference in nutrition knowledge by their period of residence. This study also conducted in-depth personal interviews with 8 immigrant women who lived in Seoul, and with 4 nutrition education experts. These interviews were performed to provide profound insights regarding the content and means of nutrition education for immigrant women. Nutrition education for immigrant women living in multicultural families should proceed at a basic level in terms of language and content, using bilingual (Korean and their native language) education materials. Education topics and content need to be developed differently according to the level of Korean comprehension and period of residence in Korea. Also, this multicultural approach should be adapted when planning nutrition education since immigrant women have various acculturation levels, and the content and means of education should be adjusted to these acculturation levels. Management after nutrition education is necessary for immigrant women who do not have sufficient understanding of the Korean language. Practical educational methods such as real cooking practices and food purchasing simulations must be developed. Finally, the results suggest that the government needs to establish a systematic plan for nutrition education among immigrant women living in multicultural families. Policy support such as training nutrition educators on multicultural individuals residing in Korea is necessary for active and effective nutritional education.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.137-156
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• 2004

Altruistic virtuous caring, possibly originated from religion and/or spirituality, is indispensable for holistic health through channeling vital energy with diet, exercise and meditation. This is a participant-observed medical anthropological research of a first generation Korean elderly immigrant health professional woman living in a four generational family. She had hypertension and was concerned about possible attack of stroke. Multi-religious, spiritual, and cosmological vital energy based on holistic Nature-oriented health beliefs and practices influenced by psychosocial, cultural and economic background, education, self- discipline and self-cultivation of individual, and group or family may create health. Self-care beliefs based on confidence in self-control of one's life style for oneself and others influence individual and group health practice. The holistic alternative health beliefs and practices were proved to be efficacious and beneficial by her self-evaluation, evaluation of significant others, biomedical professionals, and laboratory tests. That may have potential application for global health.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.505-510
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• 2021