Cross-Cultural Analysis of College Students’ Parental Attitudes Toward Divorce and Child-Rearing - Exploring Interrelationships Among Child-Rearing Variables

This study examines college students’ parental attitudes toward child-rearing and their perceptions ofdivorce from a cross-cultural perspective. The research aims to explore how these attitudes vary amongstudents from different countries and how their perceptions of divorce relate to their views on parenting. Atotal of 75 college students (44 males and 31 females) in their early twenties—comprising Korean, Chinese,Vietnamese, and Uzbekistani nationals—participated in the survey while studying at universities in Korea. Four key dimensions of parental attitudes were assessed: guidance, communication, responsibility, and roleconflict. Among these, students rated communication with family (M = 3.21) and parental responsibility andconfidence (M = 3.17) highest, indicating the perceived importance of active engagement and accountabilityin parenting. Vietnamese and Uzbek students showed higher levels of involvement, whereas Korean studentsreflected more autonomy-supportive parenting values. Regarding divorce, Chinese students exhibitedrelatively accepting attitudes, while Uzbek and Vietnamese students emphasized marital permanence and thenecessity of having children after marriage. Statistical analyses confirmed significant differences acrosscultural groups (ANOVA, p < .05), and strong correlations among the four parenting dimensions (Pearson’sr, p < .001). Regression results further revealed that students’ sense of parental responsibility and confidencesignificantly predicted the belief that having children is essential after marriage (β = .318, p < .01). Thesefindings highlight the cultural variations in how college students conceptualize parenting roles and familyvalues.