A daughter broken by assault and gaslighting, and the parents' struggle spreading to twilight childcare

The Abnormal Behavior of a Daughter Consumed by Trauma and Dr. Oh Eun-young's Diagnosis

The image of the youngest daughter, who used to work as a diligent radiologist, has vanished. One year after moving to Seoul, she returned to her parents' home holding a newborn, revealing a marriage her parents knew nothing about and pouring out her rage toward her ex-husband. At the time, she screamed at her husband, who accompanied her, saying, "I can't live like this anymore." However, her parents misunderstood, thinking she had simply come down to compose herself, and sent her back to her husband's side. Behind this lay continuous gaslighting, verbal abuse, and physical violence from her ex-husband. Having lived isolated from the outside world with her phone even taken away, she had to endure a divorce lawsuit without being able to secure sufficient evidence. It was also revealed that the ex-husband was already in the middle of a divorce proceeding with another woman before marrying the youngest daughter.

The daughter's condition captured on the broadcast was severe. She repeatedly engaged in behaviors such as talking to herself toward the camera or shifting to irrelevant topics during conversation, and was seen standing blankly for a while. Dr. Oh Eun-young diagnosed this as "dissociative disorder symptoms that can appear in PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)." She explained that extreme trauma can shake one's sense of reality and affect the memory system. The pattern of sudden changes in conversation flow was analyzed as symptoms of 'loosening of association' and 'incoherence' that worsen under stressful situations. The daughter also showed an indifferent attitude even when her child approached or cried. She confessed, "When I look at the baby, I feel like I can't help but stay trapped in that man."

Conflict of a 35-Year Married Couple: A 100,000 Won Fine for Being 1 Minute Late

The daughter's tragedy extended to her parents' lives. The so-called 'helicopter couple,' married for 35 years, is currently fighting a 'twilight childcare war' as they look after their 4-year-old granddaughter. The husband retired after working as a civil servant in the military for 34 years and has been working in car maintenance for two years. The wife holds the authority in the household. She sets a curfew for her husband, and if he is even one minute late, he must pay a fine of 100,000 won. The husband, who is over 60, expressed his frustration, saying, "I'm afraid to meet my friends. After turning 60, I hear people ask if I'm living under my wife's thumb." The wife recalled the conflicts with her daughter during her college years, noting that there was an aspect where she controlled her more strictly because she was a girl.

The couple's confrontation over raising the granddaughter escalated into sharp arguments. The wife felt the limits of being solely responsible for childcare while attending gatherings every weekend. In response to her plea, "Childcare is all my responsibility. I want to have my own time too," the husband retorted, "Then why don't you earn the money? I'll do all the childcare." The husband eventually criticized the wife, asking, "Isn't it because of your stubbornness that the children ran away from home?"

The Daughter's Return as a Cry for Help and Dr. Oh Eun-young's Advice

Dr. Oh Eun-young defined the act of the youngest daughter returning to her parents' home with a newborn as a 'cry for help.' Pointing out that the parents overlooked the daughter's pain at the time and sent her back to her husband, she emphasized that they should have asked, "Are you having a hard time? How can we help you?" She diagnosed that the daughter's indifference toward the child is also directly linked to the trauma experienced during her marriage. Regarding the current situation where the parents are raising the granddaughter, a solution was proposed to gradually return the role of the primary caregiver to the mother, the youngest daughter.

At the end of the broadcast, the daughter expressed her sincere feelings to her parents, saying, "I didn't know you were having such a hard time." Upon hearing this, the husband shed tears. Facing each other's wounds, the family began to find clues for reconciliation.

Broadcast Information

MBC 'Oh Eun-young Report - Marriage Hell' Episode 176 was broadcast on July 13. The program airs every Monday night at 9 PM on MBC. On the 20th of next week, 'Oh Eun-young Report - Again, After Love' will follow, covering the current status of the 'Baegue couple' husband and children after the wife's death.