Parenting experience and Positive parenting education program for North Korean Refugee mothers in South Korea

Purpose: Increasing number of North Korean refugees are arriving South Korea since 2001 and their purpose of escaping has been shifted from famine to the education for their children. However, there are lack of studies focusing on parenting experience of the North Korean refugee mothers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the parenting experience of North Korean Refugee mothers and to develop and pilot test the Positive parenting education program.

Methods: In phase 1, the informative interviews were done using descriptive qualitative method in Hanawon, government run shelters. In phase 2, ‘Positive parenting education program’ was developed based on the findings from the phase 1 and was tested. Main variables included Ways of coping, Parenting style, and Parenting and health-related knowledge and were analyzed using multiple regression.

Results: Themes of ‘pursuing positive parenting’, ‘acting out of frustration’, ‘guilty feeling’, ‘moving forward’ and ‘reestablished mother role’ were found in phase 1. After attending positive parenting education program, the intervention group showed significant improvement in ways of coping (‘Escape avoidance’ (p<.05) and ‘Planful problem-solving’ (p<.01)) and their level of warmth in parenting style has been significantly increased(t= -2.612, p<.05). Parenting and health-related knowledge was significantly increased.  

Conclusions: North Korean Refugee mothers experienced mixed feelings about their parenting and children, and wanted to reestablish their roles. They participated in parenting education program and it promoted their parenting capabilities. Thus, it is important to expand the positive parenting education program to larger number of North Korean refugee mothers with socially appropriate contents.