J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.
2024 Feb;63(1):68-75. 10.4306/jknpa.2024.63.1.68.
Factors That Affect Changes in Post-Trauma Stress Disorder Symptoms Among North Korean Refugee Youths
- Affiliations
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- 1Adult Psychiatry, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Korea
- 2Mental Health Research Institute, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Korea
- KMID: 2553670
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2024.63.1.68
Abstract
Objectives
This study aimed to investigate the trajectory of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among North Korean adolescents. We sought to identify the protective and risk factors influencing changes in PTSD symptoms.
Methods
We evaluated 130 North Korean refugee youths aged 12 to 27 years who completed a baseline and follow-up assessment after one year. We classified subjects with similar changes in PTSD symptom trajectories using latent class growth analysis. Subsequently, we performed analysis of variance and chi-square tests to determine if there were significant differences across these identified groups. Lastly, we conducted a multinomial logistic regression analysis to determine the factors that influenced the changes in PTSD symptoms.
Results
The participants were classified into four groups: stable high group (class 1), alleviated group (class 2), stable moderate group (class 3), and stable low group (class 4). With the stable high group as the reference category, for every one-point increase in the resilience score, the probability of belonging to class 2, class 3, and class 4 increased 1.22-fold (p=0.034), 1.14-fold (p=0.039), and 1.28-fold (p=0.003), respectively. The stable moderate and the stable low groups were more likely than the stable high group to have more psychological support (p=0.035 and p=0.027, respectively). Moreover, men were more likely to belong to the stable low group than to the stable high group.
Conclusion
We found that resilience and psychological support were protective factors that prevented the development and exacerbation of PTSD symptoms. Therefore, interventions aimed at enhancing resilience and providing psychological support are crucial for the mental health promotion of North Korean defector adolescents in the high-risk group for PTSD.
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