Job stress,daily stress,and depressive symptoms among low-wage workers in Korea: the role of resilience

This study examined the effects of job stress and daily stress on depressive symptoms and the role of resilience as a moderator among low-wage workers in South Korea. Using purposive sampling, we analysed 254 low-wage workers of private-sector organisations in Seoul and Gyeong-gi province. Results indicated that age, self-rated health, job stress, and daily stress were significant predictors of depressive symptoms, and the moderating effect of resilience was significant only for the relationship between daily stress and depressive symptoms. Findings suggest the significance of using different approaches to manage job stress and daily stress, which in turn will affect low-wage workers’ mental health.     

Influence of Acculturative Stress of Married Migrant Women on Marriage Satisfaction: The Mediating Effect of Problem‐Solving Ability and Information Support

This paper aims to examine the mediating effect of problem‐solving ability and information support on the relationship between acculturative stress and marriage satisfaction of married migrant women. To this end, the research model was established on the basis of the stress‐coping theories and resource model, and existing relevant research, and the mediating effect was verified through a structural equation. The subjects were married migrant women living in Busan and Gyeongsangnam‐do. The data from 307 respondents to questionnaires was used for analysis. In accordance with the analysis, the goodness‐of‐fit of the measurement model and structure model was significant. Moreover, problem‐solving ability had a mediating effect on the relationship between acculturative stress and marriage satisfaction. However, information support had no mediated effect on the relationship between acculturative stress and marriage satisfaction. This paper suggests practical implications of improving marriage satisfaction of migrant women on the basis of the analysis results.     

Meta‐analysis of depression among marriage‐based migrant women in South Korea

Using meta‐analysis, this study examines the effect sizes of the variables related to depression and the moderating effects of depression among marriage‐based migrant women in South Korea to determine the implications for human service fields. This study identified 25 peer‐reviewed articles from 2000 to 2014 published in either Korean or in English. Results showed that (i) Korean language proficiency and economic hardship had significant effect sizes relative to depression; (ii) the psychosocial characteristics (i.e., acculturative stress, social support, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction, and self‐esteem) of this population had medium effect sizes relative to depression; and (iii) use of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, residence in agricultural areas, average age, and average length of stay in Korea had significant moderating effects. Based on these results, the authors discuss social work practices and policies for this population, suggesting the priorization of marriage‐based migrant women in agricultural areas who have lived in Korea for short lengths of time.     

Nativity Status and Depressive Symptoms among Hispanic Young Adults: The Role of Stress Exposure

OBJECTIVE: This article documents nativity differentials in depressive symptoms among Hispanics during their initial years of adulthood and explores how ethnicity, socio-demographic characteristics, and exposure to stressful life events and changes in social roles help to explain those differentials. METHODS: Data is drawn from a large-scale two-wave community study of stress, psychiatric well-being, and substance use disorders among young adults. Our analytic sample includes 553 Hispanic respondents and we employ multivariate regression techniques. RESULTS: Regardless of age at immigration, foreign-born women experience greater declines in depressive symptoms than native-born women during early adulthood. This advantage is explained by differences in perceptions of discrimination, family-based stress, and social role changes. The association between nativity and depressive symptoms is not conditioned by ethnicity, but ethnicity does condition the association between stressful events and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that mental health treatment and prevention efforts should focus more heavily on stress exposure.     

Changes in characteristics of ego-centred networks of female immigrants married to Korean men

This study explores the relationships between social support and social networks of female immigrants married to South Korean men, using two-year data on migrant wives from the Gyeonggi Welfare Panel and an ego-centred network approach. The results suggest that a larger network with less cohesive ties provides more diverse social support for migrant wives. Migrant wives gradually reduce dependence on their family-in-laws and play roles of support givers for those with the same nationality by sharing their experiences in South Korea. The ego-centred network analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the social networks of married migrant women in South Korea.     

Comparison on predictors of mental health service use among Asian older adults

Studies have mostly examined mental health service use of older Asian immigrant combining all Asian Americans into one group whereas immigration backgrounds and socioeconomic status of each Asian minority group are different. Therefore, this study aimed to identify predictors of mental health service use within specific ethnic groups among older Asian adults focusing on Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Vietnamese in California. The Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations (BMVP) is used to guide the secondary data analysis of a sample of 3,453 older Asian immigrants from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Logistic and linear regression analyses are performed to examine predictors of mental health service use and the frequency of mental health service use, respectively. As results, mental health‐seeking patterns differ by ethnicity within the older Asian immigrant sample, not being married (Korean), higher levels of acculturation (Filipino), lower levels of neighborhood cohesion (Korean and Vietnamese), higher levels of perceived safety (Korean) and lower levels of perceived safety (Vietnamese), higher levels of mental distress (Korean and Filipino), and having perceived need (all) were related to more visits for mental health services. The study findings highlight the necessity of cultural competency services and programs for each Asian ethnicity.     

Impact of Having a First Child on Maternal Depressive Symptoms: Does the Birth of a Mother's First Baby Increase Symptoms of Depression in the Mother?

Previous studies on the impact of having a first child on a mother's psychological well‐being has not been extensively examined in Korea. The present study aims to understand how having a first child is associated with a first‐time mother's depressive symptoms when compared with their childless counterparts. A sample of 140 women aged 20–40 years, married, and childless in wave 1 of the Korean National Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS) was selected. The depressive symptoms of women who became mothers between wave 1 and wave 2 of the study and those who remained childless were compared using CES‐D. Two different types of analytical methods (i.e. pooled OLS, fixed effects model) were employed. The results consistently indicated that Korean mothers were more depressed after the birth of the first child than wives without a child. Employment status and satisfaction of social relationship were associated with women's depression in the fixed effect model. The consistent finding that shows a negative association between having a first child and maternal depressive symptoms provides empirical grounds for the development of prevention and intervention programs for first‐time mothers. Implications of the study findings are discussed.     

Thailand's reproductive revolution

Thailand has achieved a remarkable population revolution in the past 15 years, resulting in a fertility decline of 44%, the 3rd greatest decline of the major developing countries. Thailand is quite distinct from either China or South Korea, the leaders in fertility decline. It has neither China's authoritarian power system to enforce population control nor the highly developed, Westernized outlook of South Korea. Instead it achieved its astounding fertility drop through a noncoercive family planning program operating within a context of rapid social change and a cultural setting. Thailand's drop in population growth has touched almost all segments of Thai society. The preferred number of children among couples married less than 5 years has dropped in both rural and urban families at almost exactly the same rate, from about 3.2 in 1969 to 2.3 in 1984. Religious groups represent the only substantial difference in family size preference; Moslem women married less than 5 years stated a desired average of 3.1 children versus 2.3 for Buddhist women. The direct case of the fertility drop is a national increase in contraceptive use. In 1984, 65% of Thai women reported using contraception. The Thai population, however, was ripe for using contraception when it became available due to 1) mass media creating a desire for consumer goods, 2) the increased costs of education to parents, 3) the willingness of parents to trade off "parent repayment" from many children for a few quality children, 4) couples' autonomy in fertility decision making, 5) the high status of women in Thailand, and 6) the fact that Buddhism poses no barriers to contraception. Current trends show no immediate sign of change.     

Depression Among Korean Immigrant Elders Living in Canada and the United States: A Comparative Study

Korean immigrant elders in North America experience a high level of depression. This study explored the correlates of depression among a sample of 245 Korean immigrant elders living in metropolitan cities in Canada (n = 128) and a southwestern state in the United States (n = 117), using a stress-coping framework. Results revealed discrepancies between the 2 subgroups. Years since immigration and number of health concerns were positively associated, and English proficiency was negatively associated with depressive symptoms among Korean immigrant elders in the United States; only health status was significant among Korean immigrant elders in Canada. Implications of the study are presented.     

Contributing Factors of Depressive Symptoms Among Elderly Korean Immigrants in Texas

This study examined various life stresses associated with relocation that may contribute to depressive symptoms among Korean immigrant elders in Texas. A sample of 120 elders was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale–Short Form and a 90-min face-to-face interview. Over 1/3 of respondents (37.5%) had symptoms of depression. Regression analyses (R² = .331) indicate that self-rated health, stressful life events, English language proficiency, satisfaction of visiting one's birth place, and watching TV were correlates of depressive symptoms among them. The findings of this observational study may be used as a baseline for designing service program for this population.     

Life stress, social support, coping and depressive symptoms: a comparison between the general population and family caregivers

Major depression is one of the four most prevalent psychiatric diseases in Taiwan. Furthermore, a study showed that 45 per cent of the family caregivers of persons with persistent psychiatric disability were at risk of depression. The present study aimed at examining if caregivers experienced more depressive symptoms than the general population while controlling for other variables (direct effect), and if the constellation of correlates of depressive symptoms was different between the general population and caregivers (interaction effect). Data from 1979 subjects were gathered in a national survey, using stratified random sampling. The results revealed that the caregivers experienced significantly more depressive symptoms than the general population. However, the effect disappeared when other variables were taken into account. Life stress appeared to be more important than coping and social support. The other two common correlates of depressive symptoms were age and being unmarried. Relational stress mattered especially for caregivers. Lastly, social support variables were significant only for the general population; satisfaction with support could buffer the negative effect of survival stress on depressive symptoms.     

The Effects of Family-Friendly Policies and Workplace Social Support on Parenting Stress in Employed Mothers Working Nonstandard Hours

This study examines whether family-friendly policies (childcare leave, on-site childcare, and flexible working hours) and workplace social support (supervisor and coworker support) in South Korea are directly related to parenting stress among employed mothers with nonstandard work schedules. In addition, this study investigates the moderating role of family-supportive organization perceptions in the aforesaid associations. Data were collected from 223 employed mothers who have nonstandard work schedules with at least one or more children under the age of six. Results show that on-site childcare, flexible working hours, and supervisor support are negatively associated with parenting stress, whereas childcare leave is positively associated with parenting stress. Employed mothers with high family-supportive organization perceptions report low levels of parenting stress when they received high levels of supervisor support or did not take childcare leave. Additionally, employed mothers with low family-supportive organization perceptions report high levels of parenting stress when they did not use on-site childcare. Consequently, our findings indicate that employed mothers’ greater family-supportive organization perceptions are key factor reducing their parenting stress when they are limited to use family-friendly policies. Implications are discussed in terms of the importance of work-family intervention to the work-family balance among mothers working nonstandard hours.     

Stress experienced by informal caregivers On conflicting demands in everyday life

Stress was defined as a conflict experienced between contradictory demands on the disposition of time and space in the life situation of caregivers. The following questions were asked: are there any family or gender related patterns to be found in the individual expressions of stress experiences? How can differences in stress experiences be explained in terms of work load, sociocultural demands related to gender and family relations, or lack of control in everyday life? What are the effects of a well developed welfare system? What are the differences between a rural and an urban setting and how do different life modes influence sociocultural demands and individual decision latitudes, creating and limiting different contributions of care? How are cultural characteristics reflected in stress experiences? The sample consists of 99 care recipients, all in intense formal care, and the person identified by the care recipient as the person in the informal network who contributed most or took most responsibility in caregiving. Stress experience among main helpers is related to area of living, main helper's gender, kin relation to the care recipient and lack of a shared responsibility within the informal network. Obtaining support in the caring situation reduces the instrumental demands and also the experience of stress. Women in urban areas had less caring commitments in the informal network but also experienced more stress. Help from public home services, however, was not found to reduce the instrumental demands and experiences of stress in all situations.     

Women Reconciling Paid and Unpaid Work in a Confucian Welfare State: The Case of South Korea

The participation of married women in the labour market has been increasing since industrialization in the 1960s in Korea; in 1999 it overtook that of unmarried women. This raises the issue of how women reconcile paid and unpaid work and how state policy responds to this issue. In Korea, there have been numerous policy reforms designed to support working women in combining work and family life. For example, a parental leave scheme was introduced in 1995 and maternity benefits were also introduced in 2001. However, it is doubtful whether these policies can be effective in practice in Korea, where Confucian traditions in respect of women's roles remain strong. Confucian tradition has long influenced Korean society culturally and socially. Although Korean society today is not as Confucian as in the past, some traditions still remain strong, particularly with regard to the family: for example filial piety, seniority, the married woman's responsibility for her parents‐in‐law. This paper will argue that Confucian tradition makes for difficulties in Korean women's experiences of reconciling paid and unpaid work and also affects the formation of state policy. The paper explores the impact of the Confucian welfare regimes on Korean women's experience of reconciling paid and unpaid care work, and questions the gendered characteristics of the Confucian welfare state.     

Intergenerational Conflict,Attitudinal Familism,and Depressive Symptoms Among Asian and Hispanic Adolescents in Immigrant Families: A Latent Variable Interaction Analysis

ABSTRACT

Research has shown an association between intergenerational conflict (IC) due to acculturation and negative mental health outcomes, including depressive symptoms, among Asian and Hispanic adolescents from immigrant families. Using the data from the first survey of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study, which included a culturally diverse sample of second-generation immigrant children, this study examines whether attitudinal familism (AF) moderates the effect of IC on depressive symptoms among Asian and Hispanic adolescents. Latent variable interaction models involving multiple-group comparisons were established. Results show that there is a significant buffering effect (b = –.05, p < .001). Specifically, a high level of AF is generally associated with fewer depressive symptoms compared with a low level of AF. These findings may inform the development of social service programs that aim to reduce IC by exposing immigrant adolescents to more traditional cultural values. Future research implications are discussed.     

Social networks and immigration stress among first‐generation Mandarin‐speaking Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles

This study examined relationships between social networks and immigration stress among first‐generation Chinese immigrants. Using data from a larger study of health behavior among first‐generation Mandarin/English‐speaking immigrants residing in the Los Angeles metropolitan area (N = 1,183), this study found that Chinese immigrants living closer to immediate family and maintaining larger social networks experienced lower immigration stress. Unexpectedly, immigrants with larger family sizes and who participated in voluntary associations (e.g., religious, alumni, and nationality associations) reported increased immigration stress. The findings suggest that practitioners need to be cautious of a possible downside in designing interventions to expand social networks among immigrant clients. The study is especially important in the context of a rapidly increasing immigrant population from Mainland China to the USA. Key Practitioner Message: ● Working with immigration families should incorporate assessment of their social network; ● Interventions designed to facilitate supportive social networks should differentiate different social network ties; ● Different social network ties may affect the stress level of immigrants differently.     

Who is my family?: A comparative study of the family boundary in East Asia

Most Asian countries are regarded as Confucian countries although each has its own historical and cultural background. Little is known about how people in different Asian countries perceive their family boundaries. This study is an attempt to compare the perception of the family in China, Japan, and Korea. We examined the family perception and found substantial differences among the three. Chinese people showed the widest and paternally extended perception of family. Data from people in Korea nearly matched data from China, but family perception developed bilaterally. People in Japan, however, perceived only blood-tied, intimate relations as family members. In addition, the perception of the family was not substantially different between the genders in Japan and China, but in South Korea, men perceived family boundaries more widely than women, implying that women have a greater family burden than men in Korea. Considering the heterogeneity in family perceptions in these countries, this paper tries to explain how social institutions interact with individuals and impact the perception of family. Finally, this paper concludes that it is inappropriate to tie the three East Asian countries as ‘Confucian civilizations’ in terms of family perception.     

The Relationship between Public Long-Term Care Insurance Awareness and Preparation for Later Life in South Korea

An increased focus on individual preparation for later life paired with a shift in family support within South Korea makes it necessary to study factors that influence preparation for later life among South Korean adults. This study examined whether the awareness of public long-term care insurance (LTCI) was related to South Koreans' financial, psychosocial, and physical preparations for later life. Data from the third wave (2009) and third supplement wave (2010) of the Korean Retirement and Income Study (KReIS) yielded a sample of 2,487 middle-aged adults. Multiple regression analyses were used to compare the influence of the awareness of public LTCI on financial, psychosocial, and physical preparation by dividing the sample into negative status and positive status groups based on subjective perceptions of current economic, relationship, and health conditions. The results showed that being aware of public LTCI increased preparation for later life in financial, psychosocial, and physical domains. In addition, participants in the negative status group had higher scores for psychosocial and physical preparation than individuals who perceived themselves as being in relatively better situations. These findings suggest that the policy makers and practitioners should include education on LTCI and the risks it targets across various preparation domains as well as account for differences in perception and preparation among sub-populations of middle-aged adults in order to ensure effective social policies for the elderly population.     

Labor force participation among Asian immigrant women: Findings from the 2007 American Community Survey

Using a nationally representative sample of Asian immigrant women in the USA (N = 33,032), we examined ethnic variations in labor force participation and different predictors of labor force participation among six Asian ethnic subgroups, including Chinese, Filipino, Asian Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese. Our findings indicated that having a higher level of education, fewer children under age 5, US citizenship, a longer length of residence in the USA, and a better English proficiency were significantly related to higher rates of labor force participation among certain ethnic subgroups. The different predictors of labor force participation by ethnic subgroups were further analyzed in cultural contexts.     

Role of Temperament,Parenting Behaviors,and Stress on Turkish Preschoolers’ Internalizing Symptoms

Child‐ and family‐related factors that predict internalizing symptoms are understudied in preschool years and have a negative influence on children's functioning. We examined observational assessments of preschoolers' temperamental fearfulness and exuberance, mother reports of negative control, warmth, and parenting stress in a sample of 109 Turkish preschoolers. High temperamental fearfulness and low joyful/exuberant positive affectivity in addition to low warmth and high parenting stress had significant effects on internalizing symptoms. Parenting stress had both direct and indirect relations to internalizing symptoms via lower maternal warmth. When comorbid elevations in externalizing symptoms were controlled, the results were consistent with the interpretation that poor parenting practices and stress associated with the parenting role predict maladaptation in general but that the specific form of maladaptation may be best predicted by individual differences in children's temperamental characteristics. This study contributes to our understanding of risk and protective factors that predict preschoolers' internalizing symptoms with a sample from a non‐Western population. These findings can guide early prevention and intervention programs to address internalizing problems in a culturally‐sensitive way.