Anxiety and mood (대한불안의학회지)

Korean Academy of Anxiety Disorders (대한불안의학회)
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Influence of Posttraumatic Stress on the Mental Health among Adolescents of North Korean Refugees

북한이탈 청소년의 외상후 스트레스가 정신건강에 미치는 영향

  • Son, Yong-Hun (Department of Psychiatry, Wonkwang University School of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Ju-Sil (Faculty of Public Health, Wonkwang University Graduate School) ;
  • Park, Min-Cheol (Department of Psychiatry, Wonkwang University School of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Sang-Yeol (Department of Psychiatry, Wonkwang University School of Medicine)
  • 손용훈 (원광대학교 의과대학 신경정신과학교실) ;
  • 이주실 (원광대학교 대학원 보건학과) ;
  • 박민철 (원광대학교 의과대학 신경정신과학교실) ;
  • 이상열 (원광대학교 의과대학 신경정신과학교실)
  • Received : 2010.03.04
  • Accepted : 2010.04.14
  • Published : 2010.04.30
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Abstract

Objectives : This study investigated the influence of traumatic experience on the ego identity, self-esteem, and general psychopathology of adolescent North Korean refugees. Methods : The participants were 146 adolescents North Korean refugees who attended H High School for North Korean refugees. We divided the subjects into two groups according to the severity of their traumatic experience : the more-traumatic-experience group and the less-traumatic-experience group. Each group performed self-report assessments including an assessment to reveal demographic characteristics, the Traumatic Experiences Scale for North Korean Defectors, the Scale for Ego identity, the Scale for Self-esteem and the Symptom Check-90-Revision (SCL-90-R). Statistical analysis of t-test and multiple regression utilized SPSS 12.0 for Window for comparison between more-traumatic-experience group and less-traumatic-experience group. Results : The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder among adolescents North Korean refugees was 37%. The factor with the greatest influence on ego identity was length of time living in South Korea, while, for self-esteem the most influential factor was perception of health. The more-traumatic-experience group had lower self-esteem scores on some subscales of the Scale for Ego identity. They had higher scores on all SCL-90-R subscales than the less-traumatic-experience group. Conclusion : Adolescent North Korean refugees experienced high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder. The more traumatic-experience-group had lower self esteem and poorer ego identity and mental health than the less-traumatic-experience group.

Keywords

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