TY - JOUR
T1 - Correlates of resilience in the face of adversity for Korean women immigrating to the US
AU - Lee, Hei Sung
AU - Brown, Stephen L.
AU - Mitchell, Mary M.
AU - Schiraldi, Glenn R.
PY - 2008/10
Y1 - 2008/10
N2 - Objectives: To explore the association between resilience and psychosocial variables of theoretical relevance such as self-esteem, optimism, religiousness, cultural interdependency, and belief in higher education in a population of elderly Korean women and their daughters who experienced great adversity. Methods: Surveys were conducted with 200 elderly Korean women and 170 of their daughters in several community locations. Results: Both mothers and daughters experienced great adversities in their lives such as psychological and physical losses from war as well as current and past difficulties with relocation. The mothers' bivariate correlations indicate that self-esteem, optimism, religiousness, and cultural interdependency were significantly correlated with resilience. Length of time in the US, age entering the US, physical and psychological war-related adversities, current relocation difficulties, self-esteem, optimism, cultural interdependency, and belief in education were all significantly associated with daughters' resilience. In linear regression, self-esteem and optimism were significant predictors of resilience in both mothers and daughters. Conclusions: Self-esteem and optimism deserve further attention as psychological factors that may increase the likelihood of developing resilience. Implications of these findings for health professionals are discussed.
AB - Objectives: To explore the association between resilience and psychosocial variables of theoretical relevance such as self-esteem, optimism, religiousness, cultural interdependency, and belief in higher education in a population of elderly Korean women and their daughters who experienced great adversity. Methods: Surveys were conducted with 200 elderly Korean women and 170 of their daughters in several community locations. Results: Both mothers and daughters experienced great adversities in their lives such as psychological and physical losses from war as well as current and past difficulties with relocation. The mothers' bivariate correlations indicate that self-esteem, optimism, religiousness, and cultural interdependency were significantly correlated with resilience. Length of time in the US, age entering the US, physical and psychological war-related adversities, current relocation difficulties, self-esteem, optimism, cultural interdependency, and belief in education were all significantly associated with daughters' resilience. In linear regression, self-esteem and optimism were significant predictors of resilience in both mothers and daughters. Conclusions: Self-esteem and optimism deserve further attention as psychological factors that may increase the likelihood of developing resilience. Implications of these findings for health professionals are discussed.
KW - Korean women
KW - Optimism
KW - Resilience
KW - Self-esteem
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U2 - 10.1007/s10903-007-9104-4
DO - 10.1007/s10903-007-9104-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 18066717
AN - SCOPUS:48449092783
SN - 1557-1912
VL - 10
SP - 415
EP - 422
JO - Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
JF - Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
IS - 5
ER -