Abstract

This study considers the direct effects that family support, social participation and psychological wellbeing have on the parenting efficacy of Vietnamese married immigrant women in rural South Korea. It also examines the indirect effects of social participation and psychological wellbeing, which mediate family support and parenting efficacy. 198 married immigrant women from Vietnam, resident in rural communities across 20 cities in nine provinces of South Korea, were surveyed, and the date collected analyzed with descriptive statistics, ANOVA and correlation analysis methods using SPSS 24. Hayes’ hierarchical multiple regression and PROCESS Macro methods were employed to examine the mediating effects between variables. The findings are as follows. Firstly, among family support, only emotional, appraisal, informational and instrumental support from a husband and emotional support from a family-in-law had significant direct effects on parenting efficacy, demonstrating that a husband’s support exerts the strongest impact. Secondly, psychological wellbeing directly affects parenting efficacy, whereas social participation does not. Thirdly, emotional, appraisal, informational and instrumental support from a husband and emotional support from a family-in-law affect parenting efficacy indirectly through the mediating effect of psychological wellbeing, as well as parenting efficacy through the double-mediating effects of social participation and psychological wellbeing. Based on these findings, it is proposed that it is necessary to adopt an integrated approach that considers personal psychological variables, family relationships and social relationships in order to improve the parenting efficacy of Vietnamese married immigrant women, who comprise the majority in rural areas.

Keywords: Vietnamese married immigrant women in rural South Korea, family support, social participation, psychological wellbeing and parenting efficacy