ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9381-9344

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA in Psychology

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Wilson McDermut

Second Advisor

Raymond DiGiuseppe

Abstract

Hwa-byung is an emotional and behavioral condition as well as cultural concept of distress primarily observed in Korean populations. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) classified hwa-byung as a Korean cultural-bound syndrome in 1994 (Min & Suh, 2010; as cited in APA, 2000). According to the DSM-IV, it often arises among middle-aged or older Korean women, but it can be occur in any gender across the lifespan. This study applied a combined emic-etic methodology to measure hwa-byung and examine the relationship between hwa-byung, Big Five personality traits, and psychological symptoms of distress (e.g., anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance). The total sample of 328 participants comprised 149 participants from South Korea (ages 20 to 77) and 173 participants from the United States (ages 17 to 35). The hwa-byung assessment yielded a total score as well as scores on psychological, cardiovascular, and somatic symptoms subscales. As expected, the mean hwa-byung total score was significantly higher in Korean participants (M = 57.4, SD = 30.8) than in American participants (M = 48.8, SD = 29.9), but other findings were unanticipated. Given the recent emphasis on cultural competence in the mental health professions, it is important that American clinicians working with Koreans or Korean-Americans gain an understanding of hwa-byung.

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