A Mediation Effect of Ego Resiliency Between Stresses and Mental Health of North Korean Refugee Youth in South Korea

Abstract

An influx of North Korean refugees entering into South Korea has been growing steadily and children and adolescents now make up 12 % of the total North Korean refugees in South Korea. Research indicates that North Korean youth are at high risk of mental health problems as they deal with multiple challenges from both their unique life experiences and the developmental tasks. While mental health research documents a greater need of North Korean youth and focuses on mental disorders and maladaptive functioning, resilience concept suggests research opportunities to develop interventions that promote the well-being of this disadvantaged group. Therefore, the current study investigates mechanisms underlying adversities–adjustment response processes and the mediator role of ego resiliency between adversities and mental health. 144 North Korean refugee youths completed self-administered survey. Structural equation model was used to investigate the causal relationship between trauma exposure and acculturation stress as stressor variables and mental health as outcome variable and ego resiliency as mediator variable. The proposed path model showed an adequate fit and substantiated that two stressor variables have deleterious effects on mental health and ego resiliency is proven to be a partial mediator between acculturation stress and mental health outcome, but not between trauma exposure and mental health outcome. Clinical and policy implications were discussed.