This study was conducted to identify mental health status, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and psychophysiological change in female North Korean refugees. Data were collected using questionnaires and symptom checklists that measured PTSD and the psychosomatic state of the subjects. As many as 97 subjects, who had settled in and around Seoul, South Korea, were selected by snowball sampling. Mental health and PTSD levels of the participants were above a moderate level. We conclude that health care professionals need to provide female North Korean defectors with services to improve mental health and make the sociocultural transition successfully. © 2015, Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

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South Korea Republic of Korea refugee Democratic People's Republic of Korea mental health human epidemiology Life Change Events Refugees middle aged Asian continental ancestry group statistics and numerical data life event ethnology Humans psychology Adolescent female North Korea questionnaire Questionnaires adult Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic