The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of maternal stress as it relates to the mothers' perceived social behaviors of their preschool children in both immigrant Korean families in the US and Korean families in Korea. The subjects included 49 immigrant Korean mothers in the US and 52 Korean mothers in Seoul, Korea. This study is relevant to current research because of the dramatically increasing Korean immigrants in the US and needed information concerning unique cultural and psychosocial needs of Korean-Americans. All mothers completed the Demographic Survey, Parenting Stress Index (PSI), and Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales-2 (PKBS-2). Statistical analyses of the data used for the study were multiple regressions, independent t-tests, and Pearson correlation coefficients. Data analysis revealed that (a) there were different demographic variables affecting maternal stress between immigrant Korean mothers in the US and Korean mothers in Korea; (b) there was no significant difference in maternal stress and mothers' perceptions of their preschool children's social skills in the areas of social cooperation, social interaction, and social independence between both groups; (c) there was a significant difference in preschool children's behavioral problems in the areas of externalizing and internalizing social-emotional behaviors between both groups; (d) there was a negative relationship between maternal stress and mothers' perceptions of their preschool children's social skills, and (e) there was a positive relationship between maternal stress and mothers' perceptions of their preschool children's behavioral problems in both groups. Findings from this study showed that US immigrant Korean children and their mothers could experience stress in mother-child interaction and culturally expected gender behaviors. This study provides information that could be helpful for early childhood educators who work with Korean young children and their families in regards to the process of acculturating to the United States.

Literature has shown that Korean immigrants experience severe depressive symptoms due to the stresses associated with immigration. The purpose of this study is to extend current research on stress and depression to the Korean immigrant population in the United States. While most studies on Korean immigrants focus almost entirely on the unsettling nature of immigration, the current study focused on the role of stress-resistance variables (mediating factors) in the relationship between various sources of stress and depression among Korean immigrants. This study investigated the relationship between stressors and depression and the effects of such mediating variables as coping strategies, social support, personal resources (mastery and self-esteem), and religiosity on the stressors-depression relationship among the Korean population. The sample of this study consisted of 374 Korean immigrants who migrated to the United States at the age of 16 or older. Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the study hypotheses. Results found detrimental effects of stressors on the level of depression, as well as mediating effects of perceived social support and personal resources (selfesteem and mastery) on the relationship between stressors and depression. However, no mediating effects of coping strategies and religiosity on the relationship between stressors and depression were found. Implications for social work practice, research, theory, policy, and education are discussed.