Psychiatric Sequelae of Former “Comfort Women,” Survivors of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery during World War II

Abstract

“Comfort women” refers to young women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese military during World War II. They were abducted from their homes in countries under Imperial Japanese rule, mostly from Korea, and the rest from China, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Netherlands, etc. “Comfort women” endured extreme trauma involving rape, sexual torture, physical abuse, starvation, threats of death, and witnessed many others being tortured and killed. This article reviews all the studies that have investigated the psychiatric or psychosocial sequelae of the survivors of the Japanese military sexual slavery. Most importantly, a recent study which conducted a psychiatric evaluation on the former “comfort women” currently alive in South Korea is introduced. The participants’ unmarried rate was relatively high and their total fertility rate was relatively low. Majority of the participants reported having no education and being the low economic status. They showed high current and lifetime prevalence of posttraumatic disorder, major depressive disorder, somatic symptom disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and alcohol use disorder. Participants showed high suicidality and majority of the participants still reported being ashamed of being former “comfort women” after all these years. This article high-lights the fact that the trauma has affected the mental health and social functioning of former “comfort women” throughout their lives, and even to the present day.

Should commercial sex workers have unrestricted healthcare access across the world?

“…Most recent or current societies deem stable family relationships as being the norm, but despite this, all have had to take on or reject prostitution of some form from Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah to the concubines of Imperial China (we now term prostitution “commercial sex work” to avoid negative historical connotations) [ 2 ].…”

Transgenerational Transmission of Trauma: Psychiatric Evaluation of Offspring of Former “Comfort Women,” Survivors of the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery during World War II

“…“Comfort women” are survivors of sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, who endured extensive trauma including massive rape and physical torture [1]. After the trauma, survivors suffered from lifelong guilt and stigma, and had problems in emotional regulation and impulse control [1]. They showed high prevalence of psychiatric disorders, especially posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).…”

The Author Reply: Major Difficulties in Pursuing Research on Offspring of Former “Comfort Women” in Korea

“…First, even if the biological children of the deceased former “comfort women” are included, the sample size would not be a large number. The total number of registered survivors are 240, but many are reported to be unmarried or impotent [2]. Second, given the high rate of refusal in the former study, it would be very hard to gain consent from the children of the deceased survivors as well.…”