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Related Factors of Suicidal Ideation among North Korean Refugee Youth in South Korea

Author

Listed:
  • Subin Park

    (Department of Research Planning, Mental Health Research Institute, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul 04933, Korea)

  • Soo Jung Rim

    (Department of Research Planning, Mental Health Research Institute, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul 04933, Korea)

  • Jin Yong Jun

    (Department of Psychiatry, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul 04933, Korea)

Abstract

This study investigated the factors associated with suicidal ideation among 174 North Korean refugees (aged 13–27 years) residing in South Korea. Specifically, we compared sociodemographic, familial, social, and psychological characteristics between participants with and without suicidal ideation. Twenty-nine refugees (16.7%) had exhibited suicidal ideation in the past 12 months. These refugees had significantly lower levels of familial cohesion ( U = 1459.0; p < 0.001), self-esteem ( U = 1032.0; p < 0.001), and resilience ( U = 1190.0; p < 0.001), as well as higher levels of expressional suppression ( U = 1202.5; p < 0.001) and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms ( U = 1303.0; p = 0.001), (with Cohen’s d > 0.5), compared to those without suicidal ideation. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the level of emotional suppression and familial cohesion were significantly associated with suicidal ideation, after controlling for the other variables. Familial and individual interventions, particularly those focused on encouraging emotional expression and familial cohesion, will be useful for North Korean refugee youth, who have a high risk of suicide.

Suggested Citation

  • Subin Park & Soo Jung Rim & Jin Yong Jun, 2018. "Related Factors of Suicidal Ideation among North Korean Refugee Youth in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-8, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:8:p:1694-:d:162740
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Subin Park & Minji Lee & Jin Yong Jeon, 2017. "Factors Affecting Depressive Symptoms among North Korean Adolescent Refugees Residing in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-11, August.
    2. Alexander J Millner & Michael D Lee & Matthew K Nock, 2015. "Single-Item Measurement of Suicidal Behaviors: Validity and Consequences of Misclassification," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Osnat Keidar & David S. Srivastava & Emmanouil Pikoulis & Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos, 2019. "Health of Refugees and Migrants—Where Do We Stand and What Directions Should We Take?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-8, April.

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