This study is meant to test the hypothetical model of the processing mechanism on hwabyung. The influence of the independent variables, including the five factors of life stress, anger experience, as well as the moderating variables, which are compris...
This study is meant to test the hypothetical model of the processing mechanism on hwabyung. The influence of the independent variables, including the five factors of life stress, anger experience, as well as the moderating variables, which are comprised of five factors of personality and two styles of anger expression, on hwabyung were examined.
In view of the fact that almost all of hwabyung patients were married women, subjects were confined to 681 married women. The hwabyung group consisted of 15 hwabyung patients and 84 persons supposed to be afflicted with hwabyung, and the comparison group did not have any inclusive criteria. The scales employed in the present study were the Life Stress Scale designed in this study, a Korean adaptation of STAXI, Big Five Inventory, Diagnostic Scale of hwabyung and BDI.
The major findings of the present study were as follows: from among various variables, trait angedtemperament, state anger, husband’s extramarital affairdill-treatment, illness of herself/family member, economic poverty, neuroticism, low extraversion were found to be predictors of hwabyung.
When the hwabyung group was compared with the comparison group regarding life stress, the hwabyung group revealed more stress in all of 5 of the factors of life stress. Husband’s extramarital affairshll-treatment was the most stressful factor to the hwabyung group, which revealed significantly higher scores than the comparison group.
The hwabyung group, in comparison to the comparison group, showed higher scores in both state and trait anger in terms of the experience of anger. With respect to the anger expression level, the hwabyung group also showed higher scores in both anger-in and anger-out scores compared to the comparison group.
In relation to the degree of symptoms on hwabyung, the results showed that the degree of hwabyung is significantly higher when the level of state anger was high rather than low, when the level of each of the factors of neuroticism, openness to experience, and agreeableness is high rather than low, and when the level of extraversion is low rather than high. Also, the differences in the degree of hwabyung that is based on extraversion did not appear when state anger was low. However, when state anger was high, the degree of hwabyung was also shown to be high. The results also show that the degree of hwabyung is higher when they express anger more often rather than not express anger more often, and when they suppress anger more often rather than not suppress anger more often.
When the relations between personality trait, life stress, and state anger were analyzed, neuroticism and openness to experience were significantly positively and extraversion was negatively related to both life stress and state anger.
These findings support previous research in suggesting that there are demographic characteristics in hwabyung patients and specific relationships between life stress and hwabyung. This study is suggestive with respect to employ reliable and valid instruments, and survey married women.