evelopment and Evaluation of Family Life Education Program for North Korean Defector Adolescents in South Korea

Influence of hardiness, mother-child interactions, and social support on parenting stress among North Korean refugee mothers: a cross-sectional study

“…Further, NKRs primarily receive help from fellow North Korean acquaintances [ 26 ]. Likewise, we found that 4.1% of participants in the present study received support from the government or public institutions; in the study of Lee et al [ 14 ], support from social organizations, including government institutions, was insignificant regarding parenting, instead frequently being a mere formality. Diverse sources of support from neighbors, government institutions, and regional adaptation centers are critical for NKR mothers facing the difficulties of parenting, as well as the need to adapt to a new setting in terms of social support, which could ensure that they have opportunities to obtain valuable information and resources for counseling.…”

“…Parenting stress decreased with a greater number of supporters, which may be interpreted as one's social network and the associated practical support having a significant effect on reducing parenting stress, as positive emotions were induced in NKR mothers. Importantly, NKR mothers have left their hometowns to take refuge in South Korean society, so they may be seen as having lost nearly all their former social support networks [ 14 ]. In such circumstances, close and ongoing social support and practical help from supporters provide highly efficient aid for parenting among NKR mothers.…”

“…NKRs experience an escalated level of psychological and mental stress in terms of parenting, as they face parentship without preparation in a socioculturally unfamiliar society [ 3 ]. The Korea Institute of Child Care and Education reported in their study on parenting in NKR families that the current parenting environment is at a high-risk level due to husbands' domestic violence, mothers' emotional disorders and language and communication barriers, and families' financial hardship [ 14 ]. Amid a growing need for educational support and social support systems to mitigate the negative impact of parenting stress among NKR parents, past studies have found evidence of an association between maternal depression, widespread problems among children, children externalizing and internalizing problems, social support, maternal educational level and maternal parenting stress [ 6 ].…”

Young North Korean defectors’ new media practices in response to stereotypes by South Korean society

“…Kippumjo is known as a group of young women maintained by Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il for the purpose of providing entertainment, including that of a sexual nature, for high-ranking officials(Lee, 2010). Kippum means joy and jo means a group of people in Korean.…”