Mental Health Needs and Resources in Christian Communities of South Korea

Abstract

In an effort to understand the mental health needs and resources of Korean Christians, we collected quantitative and qualitative data through surveys and interviews with Korean pastors and Christian educators. Several mental health concerns were identified: the high level of daily stress faced by many Koreans, marriage and family concerns, conflicts between Korean culture and the teachings of the church, and a tendency to keep emotional discomfort suppressed. Mental health resources include deep spiritual commitment to a life of prayer, high levels of commitment to family and community, cultural values of persistence and patience, and reliance on Christian communities for spiritual hope and meaningful interpersonal relationships.

Identifying Individual and Contextual Barriers to Seeking Mental Health Services Among Korean American Immigrant Women

“…KA churches are an important setting for health promotion, health education, and communitybased research for KA immigrant families. McMinn et al (2001) found that pastors in Korea often could not differentiate between psychological and spiritual problems, and most Korean pastors did not encourage the use of mental health services. Through collaborative efforts with KA churches, both mental health providers and KA pastors can be better equipped to meet the needs of KA immigrants and reduce the perceived stigma associated with having a mental health problem and seeking mental health services.…”

Training psychologists to work with religious organizations: The center for church–psychology collaboration.

“…Developing any new specialty area in professional psychology is, to a large extent, a research task. By describing various CCPC research activities in this article and elsewhere (Chaddock & McMinn, 1999; Edwards et al, 1999; Ellens et al, 2000; McMinn et al, 1998; McMinn et al, in press), we hope to generate interest in church–psychology collaboration as an important area of research for scholars, professional psychologists, and doctoral students.…”

“…How have clergy and psychologists effectively overcome trust barriers to establish effective working relationships (Aikins, 2000)? What are the needs for clergy–psychologist collaboration in various cross-cultural contexts (Ellens, McMinn, Lake, Hardy, & Hayen, 2000; McMinn et al, in press)? What information from psychology would clergy find useful in their daily work (McRay, McMinn, Wrightsman, Burnett, & Ho, in press)?…”

“…International service interests have included taking teams of students and faculty to Ukraine (Ellens et al, 2000), South Korea (McMinn et al, in press), India, and Honduras. To illustrate the nature of these international service interests, the Latin America Interest Group is described here.…”

Investing the Wealth: Intentional Strategies for Psychology Training in Developing Countries.

“…In response to the need for psychological training in less developed countries, psychologists and other mental health professionals from the United States have been involved increasingly in international training and service ventures. These endeavors include assessment of mental health needs (Ellens, McMinn, Lake, Hardy, & Hayen, 2000; Levers, 1997; McMinn, Roh, et al, 2001), providing of direct services (Mwiti & Gatewood, 2001; Pedulla & Pedulla, 2001; Weine et al, 2002), and training of local mental health providers and instructors (Bacigalupe, 1998; Bacigalupe & Fuks, 1998; Inger, 1998; McMinn, Meek, Canning, & Pozzi, 2001; Weine et al, 2002). An example of this can be found in an earlier Professional Psychology article in which Pedulla and Pedulla (2001) described an innovative model for cross-cultural service provision.…”