The purpose of this review article is to explore the phenomenon of partner violence against Korean immigrant women in the United States by using an ecological model. Analysis of the macrosystem (Korean cultural factors), exosystem (immigration stress), and microsystem (marital power dynamic, family role transitions) factors and personal history and characteristics of Korean male batterers (alcohol use and avoidant attachment style) are examined. The health impact of partner violence in family members and recommendations to decrease the violence are discussed.

I. INTRODUCTION A. This chapter continues to address culture-based health and illness beliefs and care practices; however, these are not limited to specific periods of life but rather can be applied across the full spectrum of a lifetime. B. The topics in this chapter include mental health and illness, violence, care of refugees, pain management beliefs and practices, nutrition, complementary and alternative therapy, and pharmacogenetics. C. Each topic describes the cultural components of health and how the practice of ethical transcultural nursing and health care can be enhanced through application of the concepts presented. II. MENTAL HEALTH AND ILLNESS A. Cultural Definitions of Mental Health and Illness: Cultural groups rarely define mental health and illness but instead make use of explanatory models in their understanding and labeling of behavior, thoughts, and emotions. They use these models to determine when the mental illness label is applied (Tyson & Flaskerud, 2009a). 1. Definitions of mental illness remain subject to individual interpretation. 2. Individual understanding evolves with age, increased exposure to life events, and differing explanatory models. 3. There is no universal definition of mental health that represents all people within a cultural group. 4. Many cultures have explanatory models of mental illness but not of mental health. a. Definitions of mental health are not distinguished from physical and spiritual well-being or illness, and day to day functioning. b. Mental health and illness are explained more than "defined." (1) Definitions and explanations occur within historic and contemporary social, cultural, political, migration, and religious contexts. (2) Somatization-manifestation of physical illness that cannot be explained in medical terms and may express psychological distress (U.

This qualitative study explored perspectives of emerging adult African American women on the development of mature love relationships. Inductive analysis of focus group interviews, conducted with a purposive sample of 31 African American women, yielded themes related to relationship goals and characteristics, and interpersonal and societal challenges to finding the right partner and developing a mature love relationship. Core categories that emerged from analysis of the discussions were (1) age and relationship goal differences within the emerging adult group, (2) mature love relationship goals and characteristics, (3) interpersonal obstacles to finding the right partner, and (4) societal obstacles to finding the right partner. Two approaches-black womanist/feminist thought (Collins, 2000 ; Walker, 1983 ) and relationship maturity theory (Paul & White, 1990 )-were then combined to explain the influence of historic and contemporary interpersonal and societal factors on developmental and ethnic issues that challenge positive gender identity formation, hasten intimacy maturity, and hinder the development of mature love relationships among emerging adult African American women. For these women, premature responsibility, especially early caregiver burden, was related to the early development of intimacy capacity and the desire for a mature love relationship, to be protected, and to have someone to help carry the load. Interracial dating, negative stereotypic images of African American women, and even positive images of enduring black love relationships posed difficult challenges to positive identity formation and intimacy maturity. A primary challenge was to counteract negative stereotypic images, so that they could develop their own self-identities as women and as relationship partners.

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