Development of Group Therapy Program for North Korean Refugees with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Pre-Study on Its Effect

Choi, Young Mi; Oh, Soo Sung; Lee, Chang In

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
We evaluated the design, application, and preliminary effect of a new group therapy program for assisting the psychological adaptation of North Korean refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHODS: We recruited 16 female participants from the student body of Hanawon (North Korean refugees) or K city refugee residents, both governed by the Ministry of Unification. Of the participants, 11 scored more than 28 points, the cut-off score, on the MMPI-II PTSD Keane (PK) scale. Another 5 females, who had been diagnosed with PTSD and received treatment, were included in the study. We divided the participants into 2 groups, each of whom participated in group therapy 10 times. Group (A) consisted of 8 Hanawon refugees, while the other group (B) consisted of 8 refugee residents of K City. To examine the therapy's effects, we utilized the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Self-esteem Scale, and Impact of Event Scale-Revised, both before and after treatment. We analyzed the results using paired t-tests and repeated measures. RESULTS: Anxiety scores decreased significantly in group A after the group therapy (t=5.04, pbeta.01 ; t=5.44, pbeta.01). In Group B, there were no statistically significant changes on any scales after the treatment. Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the two groups on any measures, but group A showed lower mean SES scores and higher mean BDI and BAI scores than did group B. CONCLUSION: This was a preliminary application of this newly designed group therapy program for aiding the psychological adaptation of North Korean refugees, utilizing a small group of refugees with PTSD. In spite of many shortcomings and poor results, we expect further refinement and research of into treatment modalities despite this challenging developments.