Traumatic Experiences and Mental Health of North Korean Refugees in South Korea

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study was conducted at Hanawon-a government sponsored educational facility for the settlement of North Korean refugees during their initial phase in South Korea-in 2004 to explore their mental health status and traumatic experiences in North Korea and during their escape period.MethodsA survey was conducted in November 2004 with 62 North Korean refugees at Hanawon, and the Trauma Checklist was used to measure their traumatic experiences. To measure their psychological-mental health status, the Personality Assessment Inventory was administered.ResultsIn comparison with the traumatic experiences of the North Korean refugees found in the study conducted in 2001 at Hanawon using the same methods, the current study showed a relatively lower frequency of traumatic experiences among the participants. The Personality Assessment Inventory results revealed that the study participants scored higher than average South Koreans in all clinical scales. Particularly, their mania (62.51) and schizophrenia (61.75) scores were above 60, a clinically meaningful score. In the gender comparison, the males exhibited meaningfully higher levels of alcohol problem, non-support, and warmth scale scores.ConclusionCompared to the 2001 study, the overall traumatic experiences among North Korean refugees participated in this study. But continous support is necessary for their successful adaptation to South Korean Society have declined. The North Korean refugees at Hanawon experienced difficulties maintaining their mental health and the men in particular requested more intensive care and support for this purpose.

Mental health status of North Korean refugees in South Korea and risk and protective factors: a 10-year review of the literature

“…Jeon et al (2013)*Adult NKRs10635.3PTSD (SCID), Depression (BDI), Anxiety/Depression (HSCL-25)NoW. Jeon et al (2008)Adult NKRs6234.3 (19–55)Personality and Psychopathology (K-PAI)NoJun et al (2015)Adult NKRs20138.8Depression (CES-D), Anxiety (STAI), Somatization (SCL-90-R), PTSD (IES-R).NoJ. Jung et al (2013)Adult NKRs19839.3Psycho-social adaptation (author’s measurement)NoY.…”

“…Specifically, 49.3–81.4% of adult NKRs reported having directly experienced or witnessed at least one type of life-threatening events (Kim, 2012b; Nam et al, 2016), including starvation, public execution, and being sent to a correction facility (Jeon et al, 2008). Adolescent NKRs are not an exception: around 71% of adolescents NKRs reported having undergone at least one traumatic incident in one report (Kim, 2013), and the average number of traumatic incidents was 2.5 in another report (Kim, 2016).…”

“…The prevalence of PTSD was also found to be higher among females (Kim et al, 2010). In contrast, male NKRs tend to present more behavioural and externalizing problems, including alcohol problems (Baek et al, 2007; Cho et al, 2011; Jeon et al, 2008; Kim & Shin, 2010; 2015). …”

“…Similar to other refugee populations (Fazel, Wheeler, & Danesh, 2005; Hollifield, Warner, & Lian et al, 2002), NKRs are often exposed to traumatic events while in North Korea and during their escape (Jeon, Yu, Cho, & Eom, 2008). Even after a successful escape, they tend to experience difficulties in adapting to the unfamiliar culture of the country in which they settle (Jeon, Min, Lee, & Lee, 1997).…”

The Effect of Traumatic Experiences and Psychiatric Symptoms on the Life Satisfaction of North Korean Refugees

“…With an increasing number of North Korean defectors entering South Korea, helping them to adapt successfully to South Korean society has become a major challenge for the South Korean government. Like most refugees, North Korean refugees have undergone traumatic experiences such as starvation, torture, physical and sexual violence, separation from or death of family members, human trafficking, arrest, deportation, imprisonment and witness to public execution [16][17][18] . The political humiliation of human rights is also a serious problem in North Korea.…”