Psychiatry Investigation
Volume 15, Issue 4, 2018, Pages 336-343

Psychiatric sequelae of former “Comfort women,” survivors of the Japanese military sexual slavery during world war II (Review) (Open Access)

Lee J. , Kwak Y.-S. , Kim Y.-J. , Kim E.-J. , Park E.J. , Shin Y. , Lee B.-H. , Lee S.H. , Jung H.Y. , Lee I. , Hwang J.I. , Kim D. , Lee S.I.*
  • a Department of Psychiatry, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, South Korea
  • b Department of Psychiatry, Jeju National UniversityJeju, South Korea
  • c Mentor Clinic, Seoul, South Korea
  • d Maumtodac Clinic, Ansan, South Korea
  • e Department of Psychiatry, Incheon St. Mary’s Hospital, Incheon, South Korea
  • f Department of Psychiatry, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea
  • g Department of Psychiatry, Seoul Metropolitan Enpyeong Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
  • h Department of Psychiatry, National Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea
  • i Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
  • j Korean Women’s Development Institute, Seoul, South Korea
  • k Korean Women’s Development Institute, Seoul, South Korea
  • l Korean Women’s Development Institute, Seoul, South Korea
  • m Department of Psychiatry, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, South Korea

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 highlights 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. © 2018 Korean Neuropsychiatric Association.

Author Keywords

Comfort women posttraumatic stress disorder Japanese military sexual slavery Psychiatric sequelae

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85053616710&doi=10.30773%2fpi.2017.11.08.2&partnerID=40&md5=541d2347e09e886807cca1982980bb95
DOI: 10.30773/pi.2017.11.08.2
ISSN: 17383684
Cited by: 3
Original Language: English