Status of human rights violations and trauma among North Korean defectors: a cross-sectional study
Purpose This study aimed to identify the types of human rights violations and the associated psychological trauma experienced by North Korean defectors. It also examined the impact of trauma on the defectors’ interpersonal relationships, employment, and overall quality of life, while evaluating exis...
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Ewha Womans University College of Medicine
2025-04-01
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| Series: | The Ewha Medical Journal |
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| Online Access: | http://www.e-emj.org/upload/pdf/emj-2025-00367.pdf |
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| author | So Hee Lee Won Woong Lee Haewoo Lee Jin Yong Jun Jin-Won Noh |
| author_facet | So Hee Lee Won Woong Lee Haewoo Lee Jin Yong Jun Jin-Won Noh |
| author_sort | So Hee Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose This study aimed to identify the types of human rights violations and the associated psychological trauma experienced by North Korean defectors. It also examined the impact of trauma on the defectors’ interpersonal relationships, employment, and overall quality of life, while evaluating existing psychological support policies to suggest potential improvements. Methods A multidisciplinary research team conducted an observational survey and in-depth interviews with approximately 300 North Korean defectors residing in South Korea from June to September 2017. Standardized measurement tools, including the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist (PCL-5), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), and Short Form-8 Health Survey (SF-8), were employed. Statistical analyses consisted of frequency analysis, cross-tabulation, factor analysis, and logistic regression. Results The findings revealed a high prevalence of human rights violations, such as public executions (82%), forced self-criticism (82.3%), and severe starvation or illness (62.7%). Additionally, there were elevated rates of PTSD (56%), severe depression (28.3%), anxiety (25%), and insomnia (23.3%). Defectors who resided in China before entering South Korea reported significantly worse mental health outcomes and a lower quality of life. Moreover, trauma was strongly and negatively correlated with social adjustment, interpersonal relationships, employment stability, and overall well-being. Conclusion An urgent revision of existing policies is needed to incorporate specialized, trauma-informed care infrastructures within medical institutions. Furthermore, broad societal education to reduce stigma and enhance integration efforts is essential to effectively support the psychological well-being and social integration of North Korean defectors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c3cfa32dd8b5472a907c5e218094c482 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2234-3180 2234-2591 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Ewha Womans University College of Medicine |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Ewha Medical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-c3cfa32dd8b5472a907c5e218094c4822025-08-26T00:04:46ZengEwha Womans University College of MedicineThe Ewha Medical Journal2234-31802234-25912025-04-0148210.12771/emj.2025.003671616Status of human rights violations and trauma among North Korean defectors: a cross-sectional studySo Hee Lee0Won Woong Lee1Haewoo Lee2Jin Yong Jun3Jin-Won Noh4Department of Psychiatry, National Medical Center, Seoul, KoreaDepartment of Social Welfare, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung, KoreaDepartment of Psychiatry, Kangwon National University Hospital, Chuncheon, KoreaDepartment of Psychiatry, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan, KoreaDivision of Health Administration, Yonsei University, Wonju, KoreaPurpose This study aimed to identify the types of human rights violations and the associated psychological trauma experienced by North Korean defectors. It also examined the impact of trauma on the defectors’ interpersonal relationships, employment, and overall quality of life, while evaluating existing psychological support policies to suggest potential improvements. Methods A multidisciplinary research team conducted an observational survey and in-depth interviews with approximately 300 North Korean defectors residing in South Korea from June to September 2017. Standardized measurement tools, including the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist (PCL-5), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), and Short Form-8 Health Survey (SF-8), were employed. Statistical analyses consisted of frequency analysis, cross-tabulation, factor analysis, and logistic regression. Results The findings revealed a high prevalence of human rights violations, such as public executions (82%), forced self-criticism (82.3%), and severe starvation or illness (62.7%). Additionally, there were elevated rates of PTSD (56%), severe depression (28.3%), anxiety (25%), and insomnia (23.3%). Defectors who resided in China before entering South Korea reported significantly worse mental health outcomes and a lower quality of life. Moreover, trauma was strongly and negatively correlated with social adjustment, interpersonal relationships, employment stability, and overall well-being. Conclusion An urgent revision of existing policies is needed to incorporate specialized, trauma-informed care infrastructures within medical institutions. Furthermore, broad societal education to reduce stigma and enhance integration efforts is essential to effectively support the psychological well-being and social integration of North Korean defectors.http://www.e-emj.org/upload/pdf/emj-2025-00367.pdfdemocratic people’s republic of koreahealth policyhuman rightspost-traumatic stress disorderssocial integration |
| spellingShingle | So Hee Lee Won Woong Lee Haewoo Lee Jin Yong Jun Jin-Won Noh Status of human rights violations and trauma among North Korean defectors: a cross-sectional study The Ewha Medical Journal democratic people’s republic of korea health policy human rights post-traumatic stress disorders social integration |
| title | Status of human rights violations and trauma among North Korean defectors: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Status of human rights violations and trauma among North Korean defectors: a cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Status of human rights violations and trauma among North Korean defectors: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Status of human rights violations and trauma among North Korean defectors: a cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Status of human rights violations and trauma among North Korean defectors: a cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | status of human rights violations and trauma among north korean defectors a cross sectional study |
| topic | democratic people’s republic of korea health policy human rights post-traumatic stress disorders social integration |
| url | http://www.e-emj.org/upload/pdf/emj-2025-00367.pdf |
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