Patriarchal Attitudes and Marital Adjustment of Korean Husbands with Foreign Wives: Testing the Mediating Effect of Acculturation

Abstract

The main objectives of this study are to examine the patriarchal attitudes associated with marital adjustment of Korean husbands with foreign wives and to test the mediating effect of acculturation in the association between patriarchal attitudes and marital adjustment of Korean husbands. The study sample was collected by means of an anonymous questionnaire using a purposive sampling method, and the survey was conducted only with those who agreed to participate. The final sample comprised 203 Korean husbands with foreign wives in nine areas of the Gyeongnam Province, Chungnam Province, Daejeon City, and Sejong City. Hierarchical regression analyses and Sobel tests were employed to examine the associations among three variables and to corroborate the mediating effect of acculturation. The study results show that the level of marital adjustment of Korean husbands with foreign wives was slightly higher than the average. Birth countries of wives and education of both couples were significantly associated with the mean-difference of marital adjustment of Korean husbands. The patriarchal attitudes of Korean husbands significantly decreased the level of marital adjustment of Korean husbands, whereas acculturation significantly increased its level. Meanwhile, the patriarchal attitudes of Korean husbands significantly decreased the level of marital adjustment. Acculturation had full or partial mediating effects in the association between patriarchal attitudes and sub-dimensions of marital adjustment of Korean husbands. Policy and practice implications were discussed based on the study findings.