Citation

Kim E, Yun M, von Denkowski C. Violence Against Women 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/10778012211032706

PMID

34657523

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of traumatic events on the mental health of North Korean refugee women by examining the prevalence and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety in comparison with their male counterparts (women = 496; men = 131). Our results suggest that women are at greater risk of developing mental health problems than men. In particular, symptoms of PTSD and anxiety were higher among women who experienced forced repatriation to North Korea, which is operationalized as a constellation of gendered traumatic incidents such as sexual abuse, rape, witnessing infanticides, and forced abortion. The policy implications of our results and suggestions for future studies are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

mental health problems; North Korean refugees.; refugee women; repatriation; traumatic incidents