This study examined the differences of defense mechanisms according to MMPI-2 profile types and personality traits of 578 North Korean female refugees educated in Hanawon (Settlement Support Center for North Korean Refugees). As a result of cluster analysis of MMPI-2 subscales, these sample divided into three types. The first type meets the normal range on validity and clinical scales, accounts for 50.3%. The second type accounting for 29.2%, had 55T～60T on Pa-Pt-Sc-Si scales. The third type, represents 20.4%, showed high scores on D-Pt-Si scales. The second type had higher scores on Narcissistic Defense Mechanism than other types, the second and the third type had higher scores on Immature and Neurotic Defense Mechanism than the first type, and the third type had the lowest scores on Mature Defense Mechanism of Ewha Defense Mechanism Test. According to correlation analysis, PSY-5 scales had significantly positive correlation with defense mechanisms: Aggressiveness with Controlling, Distortion, and Passive-Aggressive behavior; Psychoticism with Projection, Dissociation, and Acting Out; Disconstraint with Acting Out, Passive-Aggressive behavior, and Projection; Negative Emotionality/Neuroticism with Dissociation, Acting out, Projection, and Somatization. Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality had significant negative correlation with Humor, Controlling, and Distortion. This study showed that defense mechanisms of North Korean female refugees had different aspect according to MMPI-2 profile types and personality trait had meaningful correlation with defense mechanisms. Finally, therapeutic approach for North Korean female refugees were suggested.
The objective of this study is to observe the effect of married women's perception of parent's marital relations on the perspective toward marriage and marital adjustment. The data of the 1st KLoWF - Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women & Family is used, and 7,882 cases of married women living with their spouses are analyzed. The result indicates that married women's perception of their parent's marital relations affect the current marital adjustment. Precisely, women who recognize that their parent's relations were not harmonious tend to have lower adjustment in their own marriage. Further, parent's marital quality directly affect married women's marital adjustment and indirectly through the perspective toward marriage. Drawing on the result, this study suggests interventional methods; the necessity of extending couple-centered family culture, enhancing couple counseling and treatment for marital adjustment, preventive programs to preclude marital relations from transmitted between generations.
The purpose of this thesis is to judge the credibility and the veracity of the sexually abused children's statements through Criteria-Based Content Analysis(CBCA) and Reality Monitoring(RM). This study experimented with the imagined statements to compare with the true statements. The true statements received significantly higher total CBCA and RM scores and eight individual CBCA criteria scores and all individual RM criteria scores than the imagined statements. Compare to the imagined statements, the true statements had more vivid and detailed information, descriptions of interactions, and reproduction of conversation with offender. The true statements have more children's emotion and feelings, such as rage, hatred, sadness, and fear than the imagined. Moreover, the true statements had more perceptual information. On the other hand, the imagined statements had spatial information and temporal information to understand the sexual abuse. However the imagined statements did not have perceptual informations based on the real experience.
This study aimed at testing mediating effects of maladaptive perfectionism and self-esteem in the link between insecure attachment and psychological distress. Another purpose of the study was to examine if the mediational model would differ by gender. Data were collected from 226 college students across two universities (138 females and 88 males). The results from structural equation modeling concerning all participants preferred a partially-mediated model (i.e., a direct effect from insecure attachment to psychological distress along with mediation effects) over a fully-mediated model. A multi-group analysis was conducted to test gender differences for the final structure model. However, at the configural invariance level, it was found that females and males differ in the structure model; a partially-mediated model fit better for the female data, whereas a fully-mediated model explained the male data better. The examination of the path coefficients suggested that the influence of insecure attachment over the other study variables deemed stronger for the female students. The study results were discussed in light of existing theories and previous findings. Implications for considering gender as a significant variable in the treatment interventions were suggested.
The main purpose of this study is to execute a research in depth about the relationship between couple’s similarities, image agreement level of the self and spouse and the couple’s communication as well as general satisfaction in their marriage life. Randomly selected 231 married couples living in four different areas participated in this research. In terms of couples' similarities, the participants were divided into four groups by feature combination of Positive-Negative and Forward-Backward. And about image agreement level, the result was drawn by self perceptional difference between Current image and Wish image of the self and of their spouse. The outcomes show as follows: firstly, the couple’s communication competence is high when they share the same Forward direction. Secondly, the more similarities the couples have, the higer level of marriage satisfaction they have. As a noticeable result, even though they are different, husband's higher level of task directional tendency over the wife lead to higher satisfaction level in their marrage. Thirdly, when the gap between couples' wish images and current images is smaller, the level of their marriage satisfaction and communication competence show higher. Above results suggest clearer expection in gender role and accurate understanding of spouse’s wish image as well as couples' similarities play a critical role in quality of marriage.
The purpose of this study is to examine whether there are gender differences in social support experience and psychological health. In addition, I investigated the effects of social support experiences on psychological well-being, depression, and generativity of old women and old men. I achieved data of 705 elderly(man 332, women 373) aged 65 and over living in Seoul and Kyunggi areas. The major results of this study follow. First, there are significant differences in social support experience and old men felt more psychological well-being and generativity and less depression than old women. Second, for old men, social support experiences providing to significant others more effect on the psychological health than social support experiences receiving from them. On the other hands, for old women, social support experiences receiving from significant others had important effects. Finally, there were differences on psychological health by social support types for old women and old men. These results suggested that we need detail and integrated elderly welfare interventions to promote psychological health for elderly.
This study examined whether aggression mediates the effects of seven sub-types of narcissistic personality on psychopathy. It hypothesized that some of narcissistic personality could affect aggression that, in turn, contributes to psychopathy. The sample of this study consisted of 864 college students (451 males and 413 females). The participants completed an assessment battery consisting of Narcissistic Personality Inventory(NPI), Aggression Questionnaire(AQ), and Self-Reported Psychopathy Scale(SRPS). According to the results, narcissistic personality and aggression variables affected psychopathy, and aggression predicted students' psychopathy. The effects of students' narcissistic personality on psychopathy were partly mediated by aggression. The research findings partly supported the hypothesis, and were discussed on gender differences in relation among sub-types of narcissistic personality, aggression, and psychopathy. The implications and limitations of this study were suggested.
This study, based on related theories and former studies on career barriers, inquired into the level of career barrier perceived by female North Korean defectors classified into detail characteristics. 546 female North Korean defectors were selected and participated in measuring level of career barrier. “The career Barrier Criterion for Female North Korean Defector” recently designed by Jeon Yeon Suk(2010) was used for measurement. For the analysis of the level of career barrier perceived by female North Korean Defectors, an ANOVA was carried out. The results from the study are as follows. First, the older female North Korean defectors were more likely to have higher level of perceived career barriers. Second, as for the level of perceived career barriers in accordance with academic ability of the female North Korean defectors, North Korean defectors with lower academic ability appeared to have higher career barriers. Third, the group under Hanawon education showed the lowest level of career barriers by lengths of residence in South Korea, and it was in M shaped curve increasing until 2-3 weeks of residence group then decreasing again after 3-4 years of residence group. The level of perceived career barriers by lengths of residence in South Korea displayed complicated aspects. This study has a meaning in that it provides a basic data to prepare plans to effectively help the female North Korean defectors to overcome career barriers in the future by clarifying the level of perceived career barriers by demographic characteristics. Based on study results, the study made suggestions for practical implications and future studies.
This study examined the psychosocial characteristics of Korean girls with Turner Syndrome(TS) compared with those of age-matched, healthy control group. 36 girls with TS aged from 10 to 18 years and their parents were recruited. Also, 36 age-matched healthy girls and their parents participated in the study for the control group. Participants completed the Korean-Child Behavior Checklist(K-CBCL), Self Concept Inventory(SCI), Children's Depression Inventory(CDI), the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM Version 4.0(PedsQLTM 4.0). Girls with TS reported more total behavior problems, internalizing behavior problems, immaturity, thought problems, and inattention than the control group. Also, significantly more severe depression, lower self-concept and quality of life were reported by girls with TS. Meanwhile, no significant difference in anxiety between girls with TS and the healthy control was found. The results of the study support previous studies. In addition, implications and limitations of the study are discussed.
This study aimed to find factors that predict high risk groups for mental health condition in recently immigrated North Korean refugee women. The number of North Korean refugee women has increased in the recent years and currently makes up about 3 out of 4 entrants. The rise in their number, greater susceptibility of mental health in women, and multiple trauma these women are suspected to have been exposed to such as human trafficking and sexual violence, call for attention to their mental health. Multinomial logistical regression analysis was conducted to identify the variables determining the likelihood of an individual to be in varying risk groups that were clustered into 4 groups: (1) non-clinical group; (2) PTSD only group; (3) depression/anxiety only group; (4) co-morbidity of PTSD and depression/anxiety group. The findings of the analysis include: trauma exposure increased the odds of an individual to be in one of three clinical groups with the highest odds to be in co-morbidity group. Living with a family increased the odds for favorable mental health status, whereas having a chronic medical problem elevated the odds for poor mental health. Childhood trauma raised the risk of an individual developing depression/anxiety while not affecting the odds against PTSD or mental health co-morbidity. Depression/anxiety seems to be a greater threat to the psychological adjustment of North Korean women than PTSD, looking at the prevalence rates of two clinical conditions. Implications of the study findings and recommendations were made.
This study examined the variables effecting willingness to provide filial caregiving among college students, the future caregivers of our society. 350 students completed questionnaires exploring their willingness to provide filial caregiving, gender role characteristics of communion and agency, familism, and filial piety. The results of this study suggest that there is a gender difference among male and female college students in their willingness to provide filial caregiving. The female students were significantly more willing to provide instrumental and physical care compared to male students. A hierarchical regression revealed that communion(gender role characteristics), filial piety, familism, sex, and number of siblings were predictors of willingness to provide care. In other words, higher familism, filial piety, and communion predicted higher willingness to provide filial care. Additionally female students were more willing than male students to provide filial care. However, gender role characteristics of agency was not a predictive factor. Regression analysis was carried out separately between male and female students. Filial piety and communion were significant predictors of male students' willingness to provide filial caregiving whereas familism, filial piety and communion were significant predictors of female students' willingness to provide filial caregiving. Lastly authors discuss implication and limitations of the current research.