The Experience of Korean-American Womens Acculturative Stress |
Hwang Ran Ahn |
College of Nursing, Gyeongsang National University; Gerontological Health Research Center; Gyeongsang Institute of Health Science |
미국 이민 한국 여성의 문화이입적 스트레스 경험 |
안황란 |
경상대학교 간호대학 교수, 경상대학교 노인건강연구소 |
Correspondence:
Hwang Ran Ahn, Tel: 82-55-751-8887, Fax: 82-55-751-8711, Email: hrahn@gnu.ac.kr |
Received: 7 February 2007 • Accepted: 13 June 2007 |
Abstract |
Purpose The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the experience of Korean-American women’s acculturative stress. The study were conducted from April 7 to June 17, 2006.
Methods Interviews were conducted with ten Korean-American women using broad, open-ended questions. Individual demographics were also collected. A phenomenological approach was used to investigate the experience of Korean-American women’s acculturative stress. Data were gathered through audio taped interviews and analyzed using a modified Giorgi method.
Results The findings revealed five major themes and relevant subthemes : (1) difficulty of expressing in English (shamefulness, tactful sense, hope for homecoming, pretend to know, difficulty about speaking the English); (2) difficulty of rearing children and lack of competence in parent's role in school (sorriness, painful mind, sense of burden, different of value, regret about child rearing); (3) fearful but mandatory drive licence and driving(fear, getting on the brink of death, terrible sense, horrible sense, sense of burden about driving); (4) suffering from heavy burden by family member (sense of the burden about caring and conflict with family, sense of the grudge, regret about invitation of family and blame of husband, pitiable sense, blocking of the Psychic energy); (5) enduring working environment of cultural difference (sense of burden from difference of culture, endurance, ignored by the others, hellish sense, pitiable sense).
Conclusion This study contributed to the limited existing knowledge on Korean-American women's experience about accultrative stress. Although the result of this study was resulted specifically for Korean-American women, its content may easily be adapted for use with other migrant populations. And this result will help on private foundations, governments, and other organizations should continue to develop of acculturative stress management program and their linkages with more comprehensive integrated health delivery system. |
Key Words:
Korean-American women; Acculturative stress |
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