Acculturation and Loneliness Among North Korean Refugee Women in South Korea

Background/Purpose: North Korean refugee women in South Korea face distinct challenges, notably loneliness, during their acculturation process. This loneliness varies according to their marital and maternal status. Single mothers who lack the support of a spouse or related social capital, may experience more loneliness than their counterparts. According to Berry’s (1980) acculturation framework, acculturation has a significant impact on refugee well-being. Among the four acculturation strategies proposed by Berry, the integration type is considered to have a positive impact on acculturation outcomes. However, its impact may differ by maternal status, as single immigrant mothers with an integration strategy might face additional stressors and loneliness than other non-single immigrant mothers. Despite this, research comparing single mothers and non-single mothers on the relationship between acculturation strategies and acculturation outcomes such as loneliness among North Korean refugee mothers (NKRM) is limited. This study aims to examine the relationship between Berry’s acculturation strategies and loneliness among NKRM, focusing on differences between single and non-single mothers.

Methods: A subsample of 157 NKRM with at least one child was analyzed. Acculturation type was assessed using 28 items from the revised version of the East Asian Acculturation Measure and categorized into four subscales: integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization type. Loneliness was measured using ten items from the Korean version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale. NKRM’s maternal status as a moderator was dichotomized into 0 (non-single mother) and 1 (single mother). Multiple regression analyses were conducted in two steps, adjusting for age, educational attainment, employment status, receipt of public assistance, housing, and length of residence in South Korea.

Results: The mean score of loneliness among single NKRM was significantly higher compared to that of non-single NKRM (t = -4.05, p < .001). In the first step of the regression analysis, higher levels of integration were significantly associated with lower levels of loneliness (β = -.23, p < .001), whereas higher levels of marginalization were associated with increased loneliness (β = .30, p < .001) among all NKRM. Assimilation and separation were not associated with loneliness. In the second step, including interaction term between acculturation type and single/non-single mother status, the influence of integration level on loneliness was significantly moderated by single/non-single mother status (β = .23, p = 04). That is, the impact of integration strategy on loneliness was stronger among non-single mothers than that of single mothers. No significant moderation effects were found for marginalization.

Conclusions: Findings underscore the heightened loneliness experienced by single NKRM might be attributed to their unique challenges in the acculturation process. Notably, integration emerged as a key factor influencing loneliness, with its impact varying based on maternal status. While integration positively correlated with lower loneliness among all NKRM, its buffering effect was less pronounced for single mothers. This suggests that the single mothers face additional challenges due to the absence of spouses and related social capital. Further research should delve deeper into the specific factors contributing to the elevated loneliness among single NKRM and explore targeted interventions to address their unique needs.