Abstract
Introduction: The objectives of this literature review are to identify the background of marriage migration, social insecurities, and mental health issues in non-Korean women residing in South Korea following marriage to Korean men. In addition, comparison is made with native Korean women and some aspects of Korean governmental policies for the social integration and health promotion of these women are discussed.
Methods: As a narrative review, the authors reviewed relevant articles published nationally or internationally in peer-reviewed journals. Literature was also garnered through a review of the websites of statistics or governmental reports if they focused on health promotion for immigrants and women with diverse ethno-cultural backgrounds. The original empirical studies performed by the authors from 2007 to 2013 were also included.
Main Body: Literature and statistics indicated that, as transnational migration has become common worldwide, the number of immigrants coming into South Korea has significantly increased. Studies have shown that depression is one of the most prevalent mental health problems of migrant women and that 9.2 % of the non-Korean women residing in South Korea following marriage to Korean men had a depression which was almost twice the rate of depression found in the general Korean population. Acculturative stress, life satisfaction, and language literacy were significantly associated with the level of depression among migrant women.
Discussion: This paper discusses more empirical evidences about mental health issues in migrant women and concludes with recommendations for developing and implementing health promotion policies for migrant women in South Korea.
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One Day in My Second Country
Whoever said it is easy…whoever said it is fun…Whoever said I am lucky…
Are just those whose never been on my shoes..
The reality isn’t simple for it was more complex than any mathematical equation. While a mere learning is different from understanding by heart…
From pearl of the Orient to the land of Han…from two different cultures…traditions…and most of all the language barrier…for English isn’t widely spoken..
I had come to know my fears… I have learned the feeling of being incarcerated,
People do not just give me an eye for being different, but some even asked how much my husband had paid to marry me…
My sanity was tested and I was suffocated from being discriminated and insulted, when the so called friends of the person I love had directly insulted me and my family in front of my face…thinking that I never did understand them, for all the while I kept a smiling face…but then inside of me, my confidence completely dies…For I may have understood but the lack of language fluency had taken a big roll in my situation. I had come to hate, I have come to misunderstand the country that is supposed to be my second home…
But then I met people whose more open minded, from them I have learned to understand the conservative characters of the people in this country, but most importantly I had reflected that I also had become like those people who used to judge me for I instantly judge my second home itself…
I know I still have a long way to understand completely my second home, and I still have to learn the language that gives me a big barrier, but I am now trying.. starting to gain my confidence back…And yet, there are still fears inside of me, most especially a big fear for a child that I still don’t have, thinking will he/she be discriminated…or will he/she be judge…just because he/she is a half..
Acknowledgment
This study was partly supported by grant no. 2009-901-42 from the Daegu Haany University, Daegu, South Korea.
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Kim, HS., Kim, HS., Tupas, L. (2015). Mental Health in Non-Korean Women Residing in South Korea Following Marriage to Korean Men: Literature Review. In: Khanlou, N., Pilkington, F. (eds) Women's Mental Health. Advances in Mental Health and Addiction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17326-9_14
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