This study aimed to understand the experiences of married North Korean women’s child-rearing, working lives, and their home and work environment in depth.

This study adopted van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological method to qualitatively analyze data. The participants were 8 married North Korean women defectors. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and observations from July 4 to August 20, 2018.

Nine essential themes emerged: more personal challenges after overcoming a life-threatening crisis; hopes of firmly settling in this land; the wound from the north, which chased them here; a body that becomes stronger through hardship; being stuck in a past full of anxiety and pain; the present is full of hope; hope for the future; sense of alienation from coworkers that cannot be overcome; and sense of power to endure an exhausting work life.

This study provided a broader understanding of the life and experiences of married women from North Korea. It highlights the need for nurses to recognize their importance in nursing care. The study also suggests that academic and practical approaches for nursing, and basic data for a nursing intervention for married women from North Korea be provided. The study findings can be used as a basis for preparing a national policy that will help North Korean defectors to find employment and gain stability.

The objective of this study was to examine the factors associated with initiation and continuation of breastfeeding among Korean women in relation to their employment status.

Data were collected using a web-based self-administered questionnaire from 1,031 Korean mothers living in Seoul with babies younger than 24 months. Demographic characteristics, education on breastfeeding, rooming in, breastfeeding during hospital stay, and breastfeeding knowledge were examined. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with initiation and continuation at 1, 6 and 12 months according to mothers’ employment status.

Breastfeeding initiation rates were similar regardless of mothers’ employment status. Continuation rates decreased for both groups of mothers, but were significantly lower among employed mothers at all duration points. Unemployed mothers who were able to keep their babies in the same room during the hospital stay were more likely to initiate breastfeeding. The factor that was consistently associated with breastfeeding continuation for all duration points among unemployed mothers was whether the mother breastfed during the hospital stay. Higher knowledge scores and having an infant with atopic dermatitis were also associated with breastfeeding continuation at 6 months and 12 months, respectively for unemployed mothers, and receiving education on breastfeeding was associated with 12-month continuation for employed mothers.

These results emphasize the significant roles of hospitals for breastfeeding initiation and continuation, with rooming-in, initial breastfeeding practice and education during hospital stay as important practices. In addition, for working mothers to continue their breastfeeding, significant support from the workplace is crucial.

The purpose of this study was to explore the re-employment process of inactivated nurses returning to the nursing field and to develop a grounded theory about their re-employment experiences.

Data was collected through a face-to-face interview and telephone interviews from 10 nurses. The ground theory methodology of Strauss and Corbin (1998) was used for theoretical sampling in accordance with their unemployment period and reason for leaving prior to reemployment; whereas works of data collection and analysis were performed concurrently.

The core category was discovered to be 'identifying a career path by striking a balance between the practical and the ideal'. This series of processes was categorized into five stages: 'trying to get a job again', 'tolerating difficulties as a beginner', 'trying their best to remain a nurse', 'trying to get another job', and 'staying in the profession till the end'.

The results of this study suggest an understanding and profound insight on the issue of a nursing shortage.

This study was conducted to determine the predictors of employment intention for mentally disabled persons.

Mentally disabled persons who had participated in rehabilitation programs in one of 16 mental health centers and 9 community rehabilitation centers located in Seoul and Kyunggi province were recruited for this study. A random sampling method was used and 414 respondents were used for final analysis. Data was analyzed by Pearson's correlation, and stepwise multiple regression using the SPSS Win 14.0.

The predictors influencing employment intention of the mentally disabled person were observed as employment desire (β=.48), guardian's expectation (β=.26), professional's support (β=.23), financial management (β=.10), eating habits (β=.07), and quality of life (β=-.01). Six factors explained 61.1% of employment intention of mentally disabled persons.

The employment intention of a mentally disabled person was influenced by employment desire, diet self-efficacy, guardian's expectation, professional's support, quality of life, financial management and eating habits.