Middle-aged South Korean women are at greater risk of developing hwa-byung (South Korean anger syndrome) as compared to men and women of other age groups. In this study, we developed and evaluated the effectiveness of a group counseling program informed by Adlerian individual psychology. Outcome measures included hwa-byung symptoms, depression, and anxiety. We used a cohort-controlled design that compared an intervention condition (n = 22) and a wait-list control group (n = 16), with a 4-week follow-up. Group comparisons showed statistically significant treatment effects for all three outcome measures, which were maintained at follow-up. Mediational analyses revealed that changes in hwa-byung symptoms and depression were mediated by increased social interest. The findings support the effectiveness of a group Adlerian program for middle-aged South Korean women in alleviating hwa-byung symptoms, depression, and anxiety.
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was funded by the the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2018S1A5A8027010).
