Family Break-up Experience among Korean Institutionalized Children under the IMF Management System

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study is designed to examine the experience of family break-up and social-psychological adjustment among Korean institutionalized children during the IMF management system. The result of this study indicates that, after the IMF financial management intervention, the majority of institutionalized children were of kindergarten and 1^st and 2^nd grade elementary school age. A predominant number of children in early childhood, who were institutionalized after the IMF system, have had family break-up experience due to parental divorce. This same reason is applicable to early adolescents of 5^th and 6^th grade and middle school students who were also institutionalized after the IMF system. Both age groups of children within the institutions had less satisfactory socio-psychological adjustment regardless of the timing of entrance to the institution. That is, preschoolers and lower graders showed linguistic retardedness and difficulties with their respective peer groups, whereas early adolescents show low self-identity, low school adjustment and dissatisfaction towards parents and patron. The authors interpreted that the envioronment of the institution, such as lack of care and frequent transferring of schools, might be related to the instability of institutionalized children and adolescents. However, the effect of the IMF management system on socio-psychological adjustment on early adolescence is rather complicated, since early adolescents who were institutionalized after the IMF system regarded the family break-up as a transitory, rather than a permanent state.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Institutionalized Children under IMF Management System
• Recent Studies
• Research Methods and Data
• Findings and Results
• Children's Family Break-up Experience
• Children's Socio-Psychological Adjustment
• Early Adolescent's Family Break-up Experience
• The Adolescent's Self Identity, School Adjustment, Feeling Towards their Parents and Patrons
• Conclusion