Filial piety and parental responsibility: an interpretive phenomenological study of family caregiving for a person with mental illness among Korean immigrants

Mijung Park

doi:10.1186/1472-6955-11-28

Abstract

BackgroundDespite the strong influence of culture on family involvement in disease management, few studies have examined how immigrant families care for persons with mental illness. The purpose of this study was to examine how immigrant families organize their world to care for a mentally ill person in the United States. The current analysis focused on how Confucian notions of filial piety and parental obligation shape caregiving in Korean immigrant families.MethodsParticipants in this interpretive phenomenological study were comprised of six Korean immigrant women caring for a family member with mental illness. Participants provided narratives that illustrate challenges and opportunities in caring for their mentally ill family member.ResultsThree family caregiving patterns were discerned. Insulating from the outside world describes a family’s effort to accept a member's illness and to manage it within the family. Prioritizing education over well-being concerns parental commitment to the Confucian priority of educating one’s children. Reciprocating the sacrifice describes how a family adapts and enacts filial piety.ConclusionThe findings of this study warrant further study to examine the influence of Confucianism among Korean American families. The three patterns of caregiving are strongly aligned with Confucian notion of family and family engagement. These patterns may help health providers to anticipate the needs of and provide individualized, culturally appropriate mental health care for patients with mental illness and their families of Korean origin.

Highlights

As the majority of developed countries become more racially and ethnically diverse, the capacity of health care systems to respond to patients’ varying perspectives, values, and needs regarding health and illness becomes increasingly important
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether Confucian notions of filial piety and parental obligation are still present in modern Korean immigrant families and how these notions shape family management of mental illness
This study finding suggests that, significant acculturation may be occurring, the influence of cultural origin may extend well beyond the immigrant community. The aims of this interpretive phenomenological study were to examine whether Confucian notions of filial piety and parental obligation are still present in modern Korean immigrant families and to describe how these notions shape family management of mental illness as they acculturate to American society

Summary

Introduction

As the majority of developed countries become more racially and ethnically diverse, the capacity of health care systems to respond to patients’ varying perspectives, values, and needs regarding health and illness becomes increasingly important. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether Confucian notions of filial piety and parental obligation are still present in modern Korean immigrant families and how these notions shape family management of mental illness. Despite the strong influence of culture on family involvement in disease management, few studies have examined how immigrant families care for persons with mental illness. The purpose of this study was to examine how immigrant families organize their world to care for a mentally ill person in the United States. The model minority stereotype that characterizes Asian Americans as relatively free from stressors or problems has been blamed for this void of study [7,8] Contrary to this stereotype, the evidence of disparities in mental health among Korean Americans is clear and convincing. There is an urgent need to eliminate the health disparities in this vulnerable population

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