Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 21, Issue 3, 2019, Pages 466-472

Pre-migration Trauma, Repatriation Experiences, and PTSD Among North Korean Refugees (Article)

Kim E. , Yun M. , Jun J.Y. , Park W.-S.*
  • a School of Police Administration, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung, Gangwon, South Korea
  • b Department of Police Science and Security Studies, Gachon University, Sungnam, Kyonggi, South Korea
  • c National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, South Korea
  • d Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, 522, Naegok, Gangneung, Gangwon 210-701, South Korea

Abstract

Many studies on refugees suggested that refugees’ traumatic events associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it is unknown whether refugees’ PTSD was caused by their negative experience before or after the entry of their destination country. Thus, a separation of refugees’ pre-migration from their post-migration experience is particularly important in understanding the causal impact of trauma. Using a sample from North Korean refugees, this study investigates the prevalence of PTSD symptoms, the impact of tortured trauma, repatriation experiences, on PTSD among North Korean refugees (n = 698). We found that North Korean refugees in our sample (a) demonstrated a high rate of current probable PTSD; (b) were demonstrated a higher frequency of repatriation experiences with a greater risk for PTSD symptoms. The findings suggest that particular types of trauma for populations with particular socio-demographic characteristics may be at a greater risk of PTSD. © 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Author Keywords

Repatriation North Korean refugee Pre-migration trauma Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85045241731&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-018-0742-5&partnerID=40&md5=9f9d0833efce5546fe89a3ad8e3464d6
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-018-0742-5
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English