Family Life Stress, Coping, and Mental Health among Vietnamese Marriage Migrant Women in South Korea: A Mixed Methods Study
(Page 194-212)
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao
Abstract:
Vietnamese marriage migrant women experience multiple stressors associated with
married life in South Korea. While there are a number of studies investigating
acculturative stress, relatively little work has examined family life stress
and its harmful effect on mental health among these marriage migrant women. The
purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of family life stress on
depression and the mediating roles of some personal coping resources
(self-esteem and specific coping behaviors) on this relationship among a sample
of Vietnamese marriage migrant women living in South Korea. The study utilizes
a mixed methods design. A quantitative survey is completed by 301 Vietnamese
migrant wives with a mean age of 29 years (SD=5.49). Qualitative interviews are
conducted with five Vietnamese migrant wives and analyzed using thematic
analysis. The findings indicate that family life stress is positively related
to depression, both directly and indirectly through low self-esteem and greater
use of avoidant coping. The study provides several implications for social work
research and practice.
Keywords: Family life stress; coping;
depression; Vietnamese marriage migrant women; South Korea.
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