• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.93-112
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• 2017

The adolescent birth rate has doubled in the recent decade. As a result, the Korean government has implemented support for adolescent single-parent families by expanding the scope of coverage of the Single-parent Family Support Act in 2010. In order to understand whether experiences of facility entry programs and the Single-parent Family Support Act for adolescent single-parents were helpful or not, this study verified the relationship to mental health. This study utilized a part of the National Youth Policy Institute's 'Research on the Actual Condition of the Adolescent Pregnancy, Birth and Rearing Children.' Participants of the study were 218 adolescent single-parents at the age of 24 and younger. This study used the research methods of descriptive statistical analysis, ${\chi}^2$test, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance. The findings and discussion of this study are as below: Firstly, the depression level of adolescent single-parents who had been raised by grandparents was higher than other family types to a meaningful standard and adolescent single-parent's cognition of the original family's economic level was related to self-esteem and parenting efficacy. Secondly, the practical single-parent family support policy for adolescent single-parent's pregnancy, birth and rearing children has shown a higher reception rate, and medical service of facility entry programs has a higher satisfaction level. However, some of the facility entry programs and the Single-parent Family Support Act have a low reception rate and it should be considered whether to maintain them or not.Lastly, parts of facility entry programs and the Single-parent Family Support Act for adolescent single-parents have increased self-esteem and parenting efficacy and reduced parenting stress and depression's levels.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.113-132
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• 2021

Despite the diverse system development and improvement initiatives that have been created to improve the environments of child birth and nurturing, the birth rate in Korean society remains low. Some minor teenage single parents give birth and raise children. Teenage single parents are supported by the Single-Parent Family Support Act, but some of their needs are still not being addressed. As each single parent has different backgrounds and socioeconomic characteristics, an investigation is required for developing differentiated support in which they will be considered both parents and children. Therefore, this study identifies the unique problems encountered by teenage parents, focuses on single mothers giving birth, and explores measures that teenage parents can use to be independent members of civil society. Three suggestions are presented for the period from pregnancy and childbearing to parenting. First, there should be an education support plan that will enable them to finish tertiary education, and parent education. Second, measures should be created to initiate a change in direction in indifferent biological(real) fathers: these should enlighten and help them participate in rearing their children. Third, in addition to improvements of the current systems only targeting single parent-family support, which will help differentiate teenage parent support from adolescent single parent-family support, assistance should be given for teenage single parents to grow as a Subject of Rights through tailored independent support programs.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.59-75
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• 2013

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how divorced mothers had decided to take custody of their children and became single mothers. The experiences of their lives after divorce were also explored. Data were collected from 17 Korean divorced mothers who were divorced between 2004 and 2009, and were raising at least one minor child. The data were analyzed based on the phenomenological data analysis method. Three main themes were identified: (a) reasons for deciding to have physical custody of the children, (b) mothers' experiences of adjustment after divorce, and (c) mothers' need for a policy concerning the well-being of their families. According to the divorced mothers, they decided to have physical custody of the children since they believed raising children was their natural duty of mothers or they were the most appropriate ones to raise the children rather than the fathers. While the mothers were satisfied with their lives after divorce in general, they also experienced difficulties including child care and financial strain. In particular, most mothers experienced work-family conflict related to the lack of reliable child care. When their family lives and work lives collided, the mothers put their children first and chose jobs that helped them take care of their children at the same time. The divorced single mothers hoped that the social safety net for single parents would expand to support their independence. Implications for single-parent policy are discussed.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.349-360
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to verify whether social support for single parents in leisure, culture, and info-communication areas has the moderating effect on the impact of stress situations on academic continuity in single parents. To this end, technical statistics and logistic analysis were conducted on 248 single parents who were pregnant or pregnant at the age of 18 or older and raised their children after childbirth. As a result, one out of every four beneficiaries were involved, increasing the possibility of academic continuation by adjusting the stress-induced tendency of single parents to stop studying due to leisure, culture, and information and communication expenses. These results show that leisure, culture, and information and communication support are effectively contributing to improving the academic sustainability of single parents who want to stop studying due to stress relief and stress. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen leisure, culture, and social support in the information and communication sectors for the academic continuation of single parents of teenagers.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.363-384
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• 2017

The Korean government implemented better support for adolescent single-parent families by expanding the coverage of the Single-parent Family Support Act in 2010. In order to understand the effect, this study verified the moderating effect of the single-parent family policy's support for child rearing in the context of adolescent female single-parent's stress levels and education sustainability. This study utilized part of the National Youth Policy Institute's 'Research on the Actual Condition of the Adolescent Pregnancy, Birth and Rearing Children'. Participants of the study were 248 adolescent single-parents aged 24 and below. The findings and discussion of this study are as follows. First, the stress level of adolescent female single-parent in continuing studies was lower than those for discontinued studies. Students who discontinued their education in the middle of studies showed an increase in life stress level relative to age because they had a low level of education and had discontinued studies before pregnancy. Second, the public nanny service has been verified as an element to increase the continuation of education by controlling the level of stress. It is advisable to fortify and expand the scope of support for childcare services in the form of a study assistant or child education assistant. Last, adolescent single-parent childcare subsidies have been verified as a direct factor that raised the meaningful level of education continuity potential to a meaningful standard that can be seen as a more effective method than general policy support for single-parent families.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.141-163
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• 2016

This study reviews and analyzes the current status and conditions of child-rearing issues related to single-parent families and pinpoints related problems. It undertakes for single-parent families with children in elementary and middle schools to determine limitations that prevent single-parent families from obtaining in existing policies and legislation. The study introduces policy guidelines to ensure childcare for single-parent families. The results are follows. First, the basic policies supporting single-parent families should be broadened to include not only low-income, single-parent families but also higher-income, single-parent families, which would allow all such families to be given first priority at childcare centers. Second, to resolve discrimination and prejudice toward single-parent families, articles about education and single-parent families should be included in the Single-Parent Support Act. Third, substantial and customized support policies tailored to the growth-stages of children are needed. Fourth, programs to improve the relationship between children and single parents should be developed and promoted. Finally, various family types, such as single-father or multi-cultural single-parent families, must be considered.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.49-62
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• 2023

Grit is a person's passion and perseverance that drive them to achieve long-term and meaningful goals. The purpose of this study was to identify practical resources that can affect single parents' grit. Using the fourth-year panel data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018 (KCYPS 2018), descriptive statistics were produced and a correlation analysis was conducted for 284 single parents. Hierarchical regression analysis was also performed to explore the demographic factors, personal resources(psychological, lifestyle/health), and family resources(family relationships/child, economic) that affect single parents' grit. First, the correlation analysis revealed that single parents' grit had a significant correlation with age, education status, life satisfaction, happiness, self-esteem, smartphone dependency, physical activity time, frequency of breakfast consumption, household size, parent's satisfaction with child's school achievement and school adjustment, subjective family economic status, and private education expenses. Second, the hierarchical regression analysis revealed that education status, self-esteem, employment status, smartphone dependency, physical activity time, household size, parent's satisfaction with child's school achievement, and subjective family economic status were significant factors affecting single parents' grit. Based on the research results, this study suggests directions for programs and policies to provide a stable environment for single-parent families to raise their children.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.103-124
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• 2013

To improve family well-being of single-parents, the utilization of familial social resources-including formal supports, informal supports, and social capital-has become one of the most important family resource management issues. The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of familial social resources of single-parent households with those of two-parent households and to investigate the differences according to three factors, specifically poverty, family types by gender and age of parent, and householders' employment. In addition, the determinants of single-parent households' wellbeing were analyzed from two perspectives: economic wellbeing and psychological life satisfaction. Data from the 5th wave of the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS) were used. The major findings were as follows. First, single-parent households utilized their familial social resources more actively than their counterparts, especially in terms of the formal support of child care. Second, single parent households utilized their familial social resources differently in relation to poverty, family types, and parents' employment. Third, the determinants of economic wellbeing and psychological life satisfaction were different according types of familial social resources. Based on these empirical results, policy implications for the future economic wellbeing of baby boomers were provided.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.37-48
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• 2017

This study aims to examine the effect of housing environment on single mothers' health and to find out how to improve their health and housing environment. For the purpose, this study analyzed the Single-parents survey carried out by Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in 2015. The results are as follows. When residential functions such as mining, heating, and noise are not fulfilled among the physical characteristics of the residential environment, single-mothers are more likely to feel unhealthy. Among the socio-economic characteristics of housing, people who live in public rental housing are more likely to feel unhealthy than those living in own house. And people who have excessive household debt are less healthy than those having no debt. Socioeconomic characteristics of housing environments had a significant effect on depression of single-mothers. Based on the results, the author suggested that housing improvement services, survey of housing conditions of single parents, provision of services considering household debt and improving residential conditions of public rentals houses should be implemented.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2007

Single-parent families are on the rise because of the death of one parent for various disasters and rapid rise of divorce, single-parents suffer various stress such as economical difficulties and emotional confusion like domestic duties, nurturing, remarriage originated from the lost of one spouse. Especially the purpose of this study was to develop family life education program focused on single-fathers. This program was developed in the viewpoint of the family consolidation. The program was composed of 3 dimensions; the stress management from domestic duties, the guideline of child nurturing, and the good remarriage. And the trial method and assessment method were suggested. The advantages of this program were the objects and contents : This program put the focus in the single-fathers which were ignored in other researches, and in the source of anxiety of single-fathers originated daily family life. This program will provide useful data for an intervention of proper welfare policy of single-father families.