Longitudinal reciprocal effects between peer relationship difficulties and aggressive behaviors in Korean adolescents

Peer relationship difficulties are strongly correlated with aggressive behaviors among adolescents in cross-sectional studies. However, effects of aggressive behaviors on peer relationship difficulties are known to be inconsistent. Longitudinal reciprocal effects between these two variables are currently unclear. Using data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey from 2011 to 2013, this study investigated longitudinal reciprocal effects between these two variables in Korean adolescents. Participants were 2,280 second-grade middle school students (eighth graders in the USA) at Time 1. Results from autoregressive cross-lagged model showed that peer relationship difficulties and aggressive behaviors were stable over a three-year period while longitudinal effects between these two variables were mutually and positively significant. However, the impact of peer relationship difficulties on aggressive behaviors was greater than that of the opposite (i.e., the impact of aggressive behaviors on peer relationship difficulties). Findings of this study suggest that schools should focus on preventive education and counseling for adolescents' peer relationship problems and aggressive behaviors. Furthermore, inservice trainings for teachers and counselors focusing on enhancing their understandings of these reciprocal relationships may help students improve peer relationship while reducing aggressive behaviors

Predictors of Cambodian parents’ perceptions of corporal punishment

This cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the predictors of parents’ positive perceptions of using corporal punishment on their children. We investigated whether there is a gender difference in the use of corporal punishment according to parents’ gender and socioeconomic variables and what factors predict Cambodian parents’ positive perceptions of the use of corporal punishment toward sons and daughters. Cambodian parents hold different views on raising boys versus girls. Younger parents with more children, limited education, low socioeconomic status, unemployed, living in rural areas, and parents who hold positive perceptions of spousal abuse of women were more likely to approve of the use of corporal punishment. Our results present implications for social work practice and policy, particularly in child welfare in Cambodia. Most importantly, in order to prevent the use of corporal punishment on children in the home, the government of Cambodia as well as domestic and international organizations need to make more active efforts to promote parenting education. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Lt

Meta-analysis of depression among marriage-based migrant women in South Korea

Using meta-analysis, this study examines the effect sizes of the variables related to depression and the moderating effects of depression among marriage-based migrant women in South Korea to determine the implications for human service fields. This study identified 25 peer-reviewed articles from 2000 to 2014 published in either Korean or in English. Results showed that (i) Korean language proficiency and economic hardship had significant effect sizes relative to depression; (ii) the psychosocial characteristics (i.e., acculturative stress, social support, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction, and self-esteem) of this population had medium effect sizes relative to depression; and (iii) use of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, residence in agricultural areas, average age, and average length of stay in Korea had significant moderating effects. Based on these results, the authors discuss social work practices and policies for this population, suggesting the priorization of marriage-based migrant women in agricultural areas who have lived in Korea for short lengths of time. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Lt

Longitudinal reciprocal relationships between self-esteem, family support, and life satisfaction in Korean multicultural adolescents

This study examines longitudinal reciprocal relationships between self-esteem, family support, and life satisfaction in Korean multicultural adolescents to draw implications for human service practice and policy. It uses data from the second (2012), fourth (2014), and sixth (2016) Waves of Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study (MAPS), which included 1,307 multicultural adolescents. For the study, the authors used an autoregressive cross-lagged model to test longitudinal relationships between the variables. The results show that self-esteem, family support, and life satisfaction were stable over a 4-year period and that they were mutually and positively significant, except for life satisfaction, which did not show any effect on family support in the fourth and sixth waves. The findings suggest that human service agencies, including school social work services and Multicultural Family Support centers, may develop programs to enhance self-esteem, family support systems, and life satisfaction for Korean multicultural adolescents. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Lt

Neighborhood effects on self-concept among Korean adolescents

[No abstract available

The mediating effect of perceived social support between depression and school adjustment in refugee children in South Korea

Despite an increase of refugee children in Korea, there is a dearth of empirical study on their school adjustment. The purpose of this study is to examine group differences in the level of school adjustment by sex, school level, Korean language proficiency, having a nationality, refugee status, and discrimination experience, and to test a mediating role of perceived social support between depression and school adjustment. We recruited 65 refugee children via purposive and snowball sampling methods, and conducted face-to-face survey for younger children and a self-administered survey for older children from July to October 2017. We found group differences in school adjustment according to having a nationality, refugee status, and discrimination experience. We also found a full mediating effect of social support in the relationship between depression and school adjustment. Based on the results, we discussed ways in which the Korean school system and social-work service agencies need to help refugee children increase their adaptability in schools. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

Developmental outcomes among Korean adolescents in out-of-home care: A longitudinal study comparing kinship foster care and institutional care

Kinship foster care has recently become the new main form of Korean out-of-home care, and has reached similar usage proportions as the more traditional form, institutional care. To compare the effectiveness of the two care types, we focused on adolescents' developmental outcomes. We also examined changes over time in the outcomes and group differences in the changes. We analyzed five-year longitudinal data from 244 adolescents who participated in the Panel Study on Korean Children in Out-of-Home Care. A repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used as the major analytic method. The study results revealed that the kinship group was better off at the baseline for covariates than was the institution group for almost every development measure. However, the group differences observed at baseline disappeared or reversed in direction, which indicated better longitudinal outcomes for the institution group. In terms of changes overtime, self-esteem and delinquency of all adolescents, no matter to which group they belong, changed in a positive way. However, there were no group differences in the patterns of changes. Based on these results, we discuss the limitations of the Korean out of-home care system, such as the lack of assessment and monitoring, and support for kin caregivers. Ethical approval: We obtained informed consent from the participating adolescents and Sookmyung Women's University IRB (the first through the third wave panel research) and Ewha Womans University IRB (the fourth and the fifth wave) approval before we began this research. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Kinship Foster Care and School Adjustment: Evidence from a Nationally Representative Sample of Children in Out-of-Home Care in South Korea

Background: There are many appealing reasons to support kinship foster care as an alternative to other types of out-of-home care. In South Korea, however, less is known about whether or not kinship foster care is beneficial for children’s development, and nothing is known about how kinship foster care compares with other types of out-of-home care in terms of its associations with children’s developmental outcomes. Objective: This study aimed to examine the associations between kinship foster care and children’s school adjustment, which were separately compared with institutional and group home care. Methods: This study used data from a nationally representative sample of 414 children in out-of-home care in South Korea and employed propensity score weighting to address selection bias. Results: The main analyses revealed that the children in kinship foster care showed more bonding to school and less misbehavior at school than the children in institutional care. Children in grandparent foster care also showed more bonding to school than those in group home care. Interaction analyses suggested that the associations between specific types of kinship foster care and children’s school adjustment varied by the child’s gender and the presence of a biological father. Conclusions: Implications for research, policy, and practice to improve the healthy development of children in out-of-home care were discussed based upon the results. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York

Does Size Matter? Comparing Medium-Term Cost-Effectiveness of Group Homes with Institutional Care in South Korea

Using unique 5-year longitudinal data on Korean children in group homes and those under institutional care, this paper compared the medium-term cost-effectiveness of group homes and that of institutional care facilities in terms of developmental outcomes. Results from propensity score matching estimation show that children in group homes tend to have more desirable positive outcomes and fewer behavioral problems in the medium term to a statistically significant margin. The cost-effectiveness ratio of being placed in a group home is consistently higher than placement in an institutional care facility. That is, for one dollar spent on an out-of-home care service, we anticipate the children in group homes have more desirable outcomes in the medium term than their counterparts in institutional care facilities. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Lt

Linking Traumatic Childhood Experiences to the Physical Health of Korean Adolescents in Out-of-Home Care through Depression and Anxiety

The main purpose of this study is to assess whether the physical health of Korean adolescents in out-of-home care is affected directly by traumatic childhood experiences and/or indirectly through depression and anxiety. Study participants are 460 adolescents who are included in the first and second wave of the Panel Study on Korean Children in Out-of-Home Care. The data are analyzed using structural equation modeling. Our structural model finds no direct effects of traumatic experiences on physical health. Among the two types of trauma experiences, namely, family instability and violence experiences, only violence experiences affect physical health indirectly through depression and anxiety. Based on the results, practice implications for Korean adolescents in care are discussed