In this study, to search for events that cause high levels of PTSD symptoms, traumatic events are classified into ‘criterion events’ that meet DSM-IV-TR criteria and ‘life stresssful events’, conditional probability of PTSD was confirmed. From a sample of 1,000 adults residing in South Korea, 998 statistically relevant samples were extracted. Criterion events include cases of ‘sexual harassment before age 16’, ‘sightings of other accidents’, ‘rape before 16’, ‘domestic violence before 16’, ‘disaster’, ‘traffic accidents’, ‘other accidents’. Life stressful events appeared to be ‘legal arrest or detention(person and family)’, ‘parental separation or divorce’, ‘failure or despair causing serious stress’, ‘extreme conflict with family or frequent quarrels’. Among the demographic characteristics, age, marital status, religion were found to affect PTSD symptoms. The implications and limitations of these results are discussed.
Materialistic values can be a important variable to understand Koreans’ psychological well-being and mental health. This study aimed to validate the Korean version of the Material Values Scale (K-MVS)(Richins & Dawson, 1992). In study 1, we performed confirmatory factor analysis(CFA) to ascertain the three factor model of the original MVS using 417 Korean undergraduate student data(sample 1). The CFA confirmed the three-factor model of the MVS. Yet, three items that yielded low factor loadings in this study as well as in other MVS validation studies were excluded from the final model. In study 2, content, construct, and concurrent validity of the K-MVS were examined with 650 undergraduate student data(Sample 2). We also tested measurement invariance across two groups(i.e., college student group of Sample 2 and employee group of Sample 3). The result revealed that the three-factor model of the K-MVS hold true across the two groups. Lastly test-retest reliability was calculated with 408 female college student data(Sample 4) that filled out K-MVS twice within 6 months. These findings suggest that the K-MVS is a reliable and valid measure for assessing materialistic values in Korea.
This study has attempted to identify whether or not the effects of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness of the elderly on a suicidal ideation is mediated by the meaning in life and, during this process, examined if social participation known as a protective factor against elderly suicide has a moderating effect. For this, a total of 403 elderly men and women residing in Honam area have been selected as the subjects of the study, among whom self-report surveys have been conducted as to perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, meaning in life (presence of meaning/search for meaning) and social participation. The mediating analysis with the use of the process macro has identified the path where the perceived burdensomeness encourages a suicidal ideation through the presence of the meaning in life. On the other hand, the thwarted belongingness has turned out to be significant only in a direct path to a suicidal ideation. The analysis results of moderated mediating effects, including social participation have found that social participation does mediate the path to a suicidal ideation caused by the perceived burdensomeness through the presence of the meaning in life, verifying its moderated mediating effects.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether gender collective self-esteem would moderate the relationship between perceived gender discrimination and belief in a just world (BJW) after controling the effect of personal self-esteem. For this, we measured perceived gender discrimination, personal self-esteem, gender collective self-esteem, and BJW in a sample of 300 women and conducted hierarchical regression analysis. The results revealed that, after controlling the effect of personal self-esteem, gender collective self-esteem moderated the association between perceived gender discrimination and BJW. That is, as gender collective self-esteem became greater, the negative effect of perceived gender discrimination on BJW decreased. In addition, we tested if four aspects of gender collective self-esteem (e.g. membership, private, public, identity) moderated the relationship between perceived gender discrimination and BJW. It was found that all of the four aspects except identity had significant moderating effects. Finally, we discussed limitations, suggestions for future research and clinical implications.
The purpose of this study was to examine implicit associations of negative emotion (i.e. anxiety and depression) and self among a college students having experienced posttraumatic stress symptoms. The participants were 61 college students(male 16, female 45). They were classified into two groups, trauma group(n=35) and control group(n=26) according to scores of Korean version of Impact of Events Scale-Revised. Two groups were compared with regard to automatic self-anxious and self-depressive associations measured with the Implicit Association Test using both words and facial expression pictures, respectively. As results, trauma group showed more enhanced self-anxious association in the words conditions, and stronger self-anxious and self-depressive associations in the pictures conditions than control group, whereas there were no significant differences between two groups in explicit cognition and depression. These results suggest that traumatic experiences could influence self-concepts in the automatic process. Limitations of the current study and suggestions for future research were discussed.
Our society has an obligation and responsibility to respect and protect the character of the child. Recently, however, Korean society has been suffering from child abuse and abuse that is pouring out every day. In order to protect these children, the child protection system and the judicial system should be fundamentally child-friendly. The CASA(Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteer program, which is being held in the United States with such a concern, is a continuing program of court attendance and emotional support services for abused children throughout the United States. In Korea, however, there are many similar programs such as mentoring projects, dream co-supporters project similar to the CASA program in various organizations of the region and the enactment of the Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse increases the involvement of the public system in child abuse. There is also an increased awareness of children's rights and strengthened government intervention through active monitoring to prevent recurrence of child abuse. These changes in the Korean society should be actively reviewed by the US CASA program and settled as a national project in the Korean society so that the system of protecting the safety and rights of the victims of child abuse will be established. It is anticipated to be a way to prevent social problems from occurring in advance.
The purpose of this study was to compare with qualitative research articles on the grandparents’ parenting experiences of grandchildren between those with primary responsibility and those with partial responsibility in Korean Journals since 2000. For the purpose of the study, this study analyzed research of 43 qualitative research articles(19 grandfamilies, 24 custodial grandparents), with respect to their objectives, basic annual trends, methodology, subject, category of content. The major findings are as follows. Firstly, the annual number of articles of grandfamilies are on an decreasing trend, while those of custodial grandparents are on an increasing trend. Secondly, the phenomenology and interview are frequently used in research of the two types of family. Thirdly, 6~10 participants were the most frequent number of participation in all of the family. However, demographics, caring circumstances, physical circumstances were significantly different in two types of family. Fourthly, caring categories of contents(the meaning, positive factor, conflict factor and resolution of conflicts) were also similar, while these were significant diffent in specific psychological experiences in all of the family. Based on the findings of this comparative study, suggestions for pratical services and implication for future study were proposed.