The Effect of Traumatic Experiences of North Korean Adolescent Refugees upon Their Negative Health Perception: Focusing on Multiple Moderating Effect of Problem-Focused versus Social Support-Focused Coping Strategies

Abstract

The health problems of North Korean (NK) refugees living a new life after surviving the dangers of life and death traumas is an issue that must be taken very seriously. Adolescent refugees may be particularly vulnerable to adverse physical and mental health issues because of major physical, cognitive, and psychosocial developmental changes during adolescence. This study examines the positive roles two active coping strategies—problem-focused coping and social support-focused coping—can play in NK refugee adolescents’ health self-awareness. The analysis found that “social support-focused coping” alleviates the negative relationship between traumatic experience and health perception, acting as a protective factor. Contrary to our prediction, the protective effect of adopting “problem-focused coping” in this study was not verified. The findings suggest that providing interventions for developing appropriate coping strategies help them live healthier, both physically and mentally, in South Korean society.

Posttraumatic growth and psychopathological symptoms as predictors in the integration of North Korean adolescent refugees: Latent profile analysis.

“…This group had a high trauma experience and high comorbidity of social withdrawal and depression. In general, discrimination and exclusion exist in the job market for North Korean refugees in Korean society, which makes it very difficult for them to achieve and succeed professionally (Ryu, 2020). They have a high positive career identity, but they are expected to struggle alone due to a lack of support from their surroundings compared to groups with High growth or adaptive aggression.…”

“…North Korean Adolescent refugees commonly experience large and small traumatic events while living in North Korea or deciding and implementing their escapes. Ninety-eight percent of adolescent refugees from North Korea report traumatic exposure (Yang, 2018) to forced labor, police surveillance, witnessing public execution, and confinement and torture in detention centers before leaving their country (Nam et al, 2021; Ryu, 2020; Ryu & Park, 2018; Ryu & Yang, 2021; Son et al, 2019), and fear of death, lack of food, severe cold, forced repatriation, seclusion, and death of family during their migration (Son et al, 2019; Yang, 2018).…”

“…Unfortunately, however, very few studies have revealed a specific relationship between PTG and mental health problems of North Korean adolescent refugees. In some qualitative studies, the relationships were investigated to an extent of identifying the coexistence of mental health problems, such as depression, withdrawal, and aggression with PTG (Ryu, 2020; Ryu & Yang, 2021). Although this variable-centered approach may be useful for studying the general trends, there is a limitation in overlooking the possibility that different subgroups may share the same symptom profile within the group.…”

Associations between potential traumatic experience and mental health in adolescent refugee populations: A scoping review

“…Forced migration during adolescence has been found to be riskier than any other period of an individual's life (Beiser et al, 1995). Refugees in the adolescent period may be particularly vulnerable to adverse physical and mental health issues compared to adult refugees, since adloscents are in an unstable period characterised by major physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes (Ryu, 2020). It is also unknown whether adolescents are predisposed to higher levels of mental health problems as a result of trauma, given their limited life experience in dealing with such situations.…”