The Sewol Ferry Disaster and Candlelight Rallies: Family Stress in Korean Context

The aim of this study is to apply the Contextual Model of Family Stress (CMFS) to explaining family stress caused by the Sewol ferry disaster and candlelight rallies as collective coping with the disaster in the context of South Korea. The contextual features of the tragedy and Korea such as collectivistic culture, socio-political factors, and affective familism help illustrate the stress of victim families and a collective response to the tragedy. The study attempts to advance the CMFS for understanding family stress management when continuous interactions between a family’s internal and external contexts exist.

How Does Maternal Childhood Adversity “Get Under the Skin” and Cause Adverse Birth Outcomes?

Early life events, such as those captured by the ACE measures, have substantial implications for adverse birth outcomes. Although prior studies have examined both behavioral and physiological mechanisms to explain the relationship, they have largely examined the mechanisms individually. This paper applies a biobehavioral conceptualization to explain how early life adversity shapes attitudes, behaviors, and physiological responses such that adverse birth outcomes are more likely. This should provide a fuller understanding of the causes of differences in pregnancy- and contraception-related attitudes and behaviors as well as highlight the negative impact that early stress can have on birth outcomes.