Torture Experiences and Mental Health Problems among Refugees: The Impact of Repatriation to North Korea on Mental Disorders

Psychological distress is prevalent among North Korean refugees, but their associations with forced repatriation to North Korea have not been empirically investigated. In this study, we defined forced repatriation as a constellation of torture experiences and investigated whether forced repatriation is associated with various clusters of psychological symptoms among North Korean refugees. Six hundred thirty-two North Korean refugees participated in this study. Significant differences in the psychological symptoms of refugees with and without the experience of forced repatriation were found. As a result of past exposure to torture, refugees who experienced forced repatriation reported more severe psychological symptoms than their counterparts without such experience. The findings suggest that premigration trauma shares differential associations with different clusters of psychological symptoms.