A Study on the Peer Support Network for Foreign Spouses from Southeast Asia

Autor: Lin,Yu-Sheng, 林育陞
Rok vydání: 2011
Druh dokumentu: 學位論文 ; thesis
Popis: 99
Due to the influence of globalization and cross-border marriages, Southeast Asian foreign spouses have been sequentially introduced to Taiwan through marriage brokers and other ways in the past decade. Nonetheless, due to the differences of the languages, cultures and lifestyles, those new immigrants encounter various difficulties in adapting to their new life. In order to assimilate those Southeast Asian foreign spouses into the Taiwan society more quickly, the Government has established the Measures for Care and Assistance of Immigrant Spouses to help them successfully adapt to the living environment in Taiwan. The resources provided by the Government are the so-called “formal support networks”, and there are certain conditions and restrictions for applying these services. In addition, the Southeast Asian foreign spouses who have just been to Taiwan may not have the needs of being helped and intervened by formal resources. In contrast, they can manage to solve the trivial problems in their daily life through their own networks. On that account, the Southeast Asian foreign spouses who have come to Taiwan for many years have become the largest local resources for those new immigrants to develop their peer support networks. In the consideration of the development of peer support networks as a great help for those foreign spouses, the researcher had decided to conduct this study of peer support network. By adopting qualitative research method and taking the Southeast Asian foreign spouses in Changhua County as the research subject, this study conducted in-depth interviews with the respondents in order to understand the construction and support of their peer networks. The respondents included eight Southeast Asian foreign spouses and three practitioners. The research conclusions of the analysis are listed as follows: (1) The importance of the establishment of the peer support for Southeast Asian foreign spouses among the informal support networks: The establishment of peer networks can accelerate the delivery of the social welfare system. Moreover, those senior Southeast Asian foreign spouses can also encourage the newcomers to experience and learn new things outside of their living areas. (2) The influences of the emotional, informative and substantive support among the peer support networks: The study found that different support results in different help for those Southeast Asian foreign spouses. For example, the emotional support and informative support are most common and frequent and mainly based on the exchange of feelings and life experiences, whereas the substantive support is less than the two formers and mainly based on the simple accompany. (3) The construction of the peer support networks of Southeast Asian foreign spouses: During the construction process of the peer support networks, the support from the husband’s family is the key, and it will increase the opportunity for developing peer networks. In addition, Southeast Asian foreign spouses can also establish their own peer support networks through the Foreign Spouses Service Centers or service locations. According to the research results, the researcher suggests the following recommendations: (1) For the construction process of the peer support networks of Southeast Asian foreign spouses: Enhance the support from the husband’s family for the Southeast Asian foreign spouses and advocate correct knowledge. Establish various spots of Community Care Network in the community to provide correct knowledge of Southeast Asian foreign spouses for government agencies and community residents. (2) For the formal support networks to construct a suitable base for developing peer networks. The Foreign Spouses Service Centers and service locations can provide as good places for Southeast Asian foreign spouses to develop their identification and enhance their willingness of attending the courses as well. (3) Cultivate seeded teams of Southeast Asian foreign spouses. (4) Assist Southeast Asian foreign spouses to integrate their experience. The possible directions for follow-up research are listed as follows: (1) To understand the factors that influence the construction of peer networks by adopting quantitative research methods. (2) To see how the peer support networks of Southeast Asian foreign spouses are built from the aspect of a practitioner. (3) To obtain a further understanding of the influence of three types of peer support networks on the adaptation to the new life of Southeast Asian foreign spouses.
Databáze: Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations
Externí odkaz: