Mental Health of Intermarried Immigrant Women and Their Children in South Korea

Abstract

This study was aimed to examine the mental health status of immigrant women through international marriages and its effects on emotional and behavioral problems of children. Seventy-four intermarried immigrant women and 86 native Korean women were enrolled from the same district of Seoul metropolitan area. The mental health problems of study participants and their children were examined. Increased risks of having a higher level of anxiety were observed in immigrant women compared to native Korean women. Children of the immigrant group were likely to have more internalizing and externalizing behavioral symptoms than those of the native group. This pattern was more apparent in children of mothers with higher levels of anxiety. The present study found a higher risk for mild anxiety in intermarried immigrants than in native Korean women. Furthermore, considering that immigrant children seemed to have more emotional and behavioral problems relative to native children if their mothers have higher levels of anxiety, special attention should be paid to prevention and early intervention for mental health problems of intermarried immigrant women.