A Qualitative Study on the Parental Role Experiences of Low-Income Single Mothers Raising Adolescents

Lee, Woon Kyung; Kim, Minjung; Kim, Tae-Sun; Kim, Hyeong Yeon

doi:10.13049/kfwa.2019.24.3.3

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Above all, although parents’ extrafamilial stress (e.g., economic hardship) is an important factor that explains their children’s behavioral problems ( Östberg and Hagekull, 2013 ), as Crnic and Coburn (2019) note, only a few interventions have been developed to address such material hardship. Additionally, most intervention programs for single mothers have focused on parents of younger children (e.g., Brown and Bhavnagri, 1996 ; Lipman and Boyle, 2005 ), notwithstanding many single mothers’ challenges in providing financial and educational support for adolescent children and difficulties in dealing with new parenting roles required for raising adolescents ( Elliott et al, 2015 ; Lee et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining family processes linked to adolescent problem behaviors in single-mother families: The moderating role of school connectedness

Lee

Joo

2022

Front. Psychol.

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ObjectivePrevious research has shown that adolescents in single-mother households are at heightened risk for adjustment problems. However, limited studies have investigated the mechanisms leading to adolescent problem behaviors in single-mother households. To address this research gap, this study applied the Family Stress Model to examine how single mothers’ material hardship is linked to adolescent problem behaviors, focusing on the mediating roles of mothers’ depression and mother-adolescent closeness. The moderating role of adolescent school connectedness in the relationships between mother-adolescent closeness and school connectedness and between mothers’ depression and school connectedness was also investigated.Materials and methodsThe study analyzed data from 1,384 adolescents and their single mothers who participated in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study at Wave 6. The associations between study variables were analyzed using structural equation modeling by decomposing the direct, indirect, and total effects of material hardship on adolescent problem behaviors. School connectedness’s interactions with mother-adolescent closeness and mothers’ depression were also examined.ResultsResults showed a significant indirect relationship between material hardship and adolescent problem behaviors through sequential mediation of mothers’ depression and mother-adolescent closeness. Mothers’ depression also significantly mediated the relationship between material hardship and problem behaviors. Lastly, school connectedness moderated the relationship between mother-adolescent closeness and adolescents’ internalizing behaviors. The association between mother-adolescent closeness and adolescents’ internalizing behavior was weaker for adolescents with higher levels of school connectedness.ConclusionThe results indicate the important indirect effect of economic strain on adolescents’ problems behaviors in single-mother households, which has been less emphasized compared to the effects in earlier childhood. High rates of material hardship and adolescent problem behaviors in single-mother families call for multifaceted interventions focusing on family processes and protective factors, including school environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining family processes linked to adolescent problem behaviors in single-mother families: The moderating role of school connectedness

Lee

Joo

2022

Front. Psychol.

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“…Women leave their work because of the gendered workplace and childcare (Kuk, 2018). Many highly educated women give up re-entering the workplace, though they have a strong desire to return to work, due to limited opportunities and resources to develop their careers and to use organizational support for childcare (Lee and Kim, 2018;Lee and Park, 2017).…”

Section: Career Interruptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Career chance events of highly educated women with doctoral degrees in South Korea

Cho

You

Choi

et al. 2022

EJTD

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Purpose The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how highly educated women respond to career chance events in a Korean context where traditional cultural values and male-dominated organizational culture coexist. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted 50 semi-structured interviews with highly educated women operationalized as women with doctoral degrees in and out of Korea. The authors used a collaborative research process with a team of ten Korean-born researchers who have built consensus on research themes through discussions on the collection and analysis of a large data set, thus reducing the researcher bias issue inherent in qualitative research. Findings In an analysis of the interview data collected, the authors report on three themes: before obtaining a doctoral degree, during and after their doctoral study and responses (coping strategies) to chance events in their careers. Highly educated women’s pursuing a doctoral degree was a way to maintain work–life balance in Korea where women are expected to take a primary caregiver role. After obtaining a doctoral degree, participants struggled with limited job opportunities in the male-dominated higher education. Women’s unplanned and unexpected chance events are intertwined with the male-dominated culture in Korea, and career interruptions as such a chance event, whether voluntary or involuntary, happened largely due to family reasons. In this context, highly educated women responded to chance events largely at individual and family levels and articulated the need for support at organizational and government levels. Research limitations/implications The study findings confirm the literature that women’s careers are limited by traditional family roles in non-Western countries where strong patriarchal culture is prevalent. Particularly, women’s career interruptions surfaced as a critical chance event that either disrupts or delays their careers largely because of family issues. Future research is called for to identify both individual and contextual factors that influence women’s decisions on voluntary and involuntary career interruptions as their responses to chance events. Practical implications Based on highly educated women’s coping strategies largely at individual and family levels, we suggest national human resource development policies put in place not to lose out on the opportunity to develop highly educated women with doctoral degrees as a quality workforce for a nation’s sustainable economic growth. Additionally, organizations need to be aligned with the government policies and programs for the provision of developmental programs for women in the workplace, beginning with highly educated women’s career planning, while creating organizational culture to promote gender equality as a long-term goal. Originality/value The participants’ voluntary career breaks helped them care for their children, be involved in their children’s education, reflect on work–life balance after having long hours of work for many years and move forward with personal satisfaction. Voluntary career breaks can be understood as highly educated women’s unique way of responding to chance events.

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Examining the Relationship between Social Support, Parenting Stress, and Depression in South Korean Single Mothers

et al. 2021

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A Qualitative Study on the Parental Role Experiences of Low-Income Single Mothers Raising Adolescents

Cited by 3 publications

References 29 publications

Examining family processes linked to adolescent problem behaviors in single-mother families: The moderating role of school connectedness

Examining family processes linked to adolescent problem behaviors in single-mother families: The moderating role of school connectedness

Career chance events of highly educated women with doctoral degrees in South Korea

Examining the Relationship between Social Support, Parenting Stress, and Depression in South Korean Single Mothers

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