Parenting experiences of marriage immigrant women in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive phenomenological study.
Eunjung Ko, Hyun Kyoung Kim
PMID 38987919WHAT IT FOUND
Ten immigrant mothers described navigating child health care alone during COVID-19, including prescriptions, diabetes care, dental and vision problems.
They felt excluded from school systems and relied on screens when support was absent.
Key findings
01Mothers described navigating child healthcare alone, including health risks, dental problems, vision decline, and difficulty understanding prescriptions.
02Mothers described using television and phones to occupy children and feeling ambivalent about it.
03Mothers felt socially disconnected and unable to manage school or childcare demands without help.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 10 mothers were interviewed, and they were recruited through snowball sampling, so the themes may not represent other immigrant mothers. Participants had to speak Korean well enough to express feelings, so women with greater language barriers were not included. The study was done in certain regions and excluded women who arrived after the pandemic started or lived abroad during it. It reports experiences and themes, not measured health outcomes or tested interventions. Interviews were once or twice per participant, and only two participants checked the themes.
Declared interests
Funded by a National Research Foundation of Korea grant from the Korean government. One author is an associate editor of the journal but was not involved in the review process. Otherwise, the authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that a nursing or family-support intervention works. The study describes the experiences of ten mothers and did not test any care.