• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.144-155
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aims to identify the general characteristics, subjects, and methods of research on the health of North Korean refugees through a systematic literature review. Methods: A total of 140 studies on health were reviewed using the analytical framework developed by the researchers. Results: The quantitative research comprised 90.7% of the studies, whereas the qualitative research were 7.9% of them. Approximately 81.4% of those reviewed have publication dates spanning 2006 to 2015. Only 13.6% of the studies were conducted with the approval of an institutional review board. The subjects of studies were psycho-social health (151.8%), behavioral health (28.5%), cognitive health (15.0%), physical health (12.2%), integrated health (7.8%), and spiritual health (2.8%). Within the quantitative studies reviewed, the most commonly used study design was survey research (86.0%). The two sampling methods used most often were convenience sampling (53.5%) and snowball sampling (19.4%), and the most commonly used data-collection method were questionnaires (94.6%). As for the qualitative studies, the most commonly used study design was phenomenology. Conclusion: The results suggested that the reviewed studies focused on physical health more than psycho-social health, and physiological measurement more than questionnaires. Ethical considerations need to be expanded.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.46-59
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• 2019

Purpose: To determine associations of traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with sexual autonomy and identify factors influencing sexual autonomy among female university students of North Korean defectors. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was performed with a total of 103 female students who completed a structured online self-report survey from January 7 to March 31, 2018. This study was conducted using questionnaires on interpersonal trauma scale, the Traumatic Scale for North Korean Refugees (TSNKR), and sexual autonomy measurement for college students. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression with SPSS WIN 23.0 program. Results: Traumatic events, PTSD, and sexual autonomy scores were $3.96{\pm}3.07$, $31.47{\pm}10.75$, and $52.66{\pm}6.89$, respectively. PTSD was positively correlated with traumatic events (r=.22, p=.030). Sexual autonomy was inversely correlated with PTSD (r=-.25, p=.010). Contraceptive use, PTSD, and voluntary sexual debut explained 26% of sexual autonomy of participants. Conclusion: To improve sexual autonomy of young women from North Korea, reproductive intervention programs including contraception, sexual assertiveness training, and psychoeducation to reduce PTSD need to be developed and implemented.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.72-83
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• 2023

Purpose: North Korean refugee women struggle with the double burden of adaptation and parenting as mothers in a new environment. This study aimed to identify the knowledge, confidence, and educational needs regarding newborn care among North Korean refugees, and to determine differences between these variables according to participants' characteristics. Methods: Data were collected from September to October 2022, and 150 North Korean refugee women recruited using convenience sampling participated in the study. Descriptive statistics, the t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation analysis were used for data analysis. Results: The mean scores were as follows: parenting knowledge, 14.97 out of 25; infection prevention knowledge and confidence, 20.09 out of 33 and 51.37 out of 80, respectively; and educational needs, 245.86 out of 310. Significant differences were observed in newborn care, knowledge, and confidence according to maternal age, educational level, family structure, and pregnancy history. Significant positive correlations were observed between the participants' newborn care knowledge, confidence, and educational needs. Conclusion: Personalized educational programs should be implemented to enhance North Korean refugee women's confidence in newborn care, focusing on areas with low knowledge levels and high educational needs and enabling women to achieve healthy pregnancy and childbirth, and to parent well.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.80-91
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• 2022

Purpose: This study developed an instrument to evaluate the health empowerment of North Korean women refugees and examined its validity and reliability. Methods: Through literature review and focused group interviews, 66 preliminary items with three constructs, including perceived control, perceived competence, and goal internalization were selected based on Menon's psychological health empowerment model. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 239 North Korean women refugees in the community from August 31 to September 4, 2020. Content, construct, convergent, and discriminative validity were evaluated. Cronbach's α was used to evaluate the reliability of scale. Results: The final instrument consisted of 31 items with three factors that were identified through confirmatory factor analysis. The convergent validity showed that the correlation coefficient was .52 (p < .001), which confirmed the validity of the developed measurement tool. Cronbach's α for all the items was .94, and Cronbach's α for the factors was .76~.91. Conclusion: This health empowerment scale has been developed to include aspects of health empowerment, provide a conceptual framework, and offer objective indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of a health education program.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.397-406
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with non-vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among the Venezuelan immigrant population residing in Peru. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data obtained from the Second Survey of the Venezuelan Population Residing in Peru in 2022. The dependent variable was vaccination status against COVID-19. The independent variables included socio-demographic, economic, and migratory characteristics of the included population. Crude and adjusted generalized linear Poisson-family models were used to calculate prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 7739 Venezuelan migrants aged 18 years or older were included. The proportion of non-vaccination against COVID-19 was 5.7%. Regarding associated factors, unemployment (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.65) was linked to an increased likelihood of not being vaccinated against COVID-19. In contrast, women (aPR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.95), possessing a migration permit (aPR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.31 to 0.54), and having health insurance (aPR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27 to 0.81) were associated with a decreased likelihood of being unvaccinated. Conclusions: The primary governmental and non-governmental institutions responsible for supporting and protecting the Venezuelan migrant and refugee population should improve vaccination access by issuing migration permits and providing health insurance.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.191-206
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• 2020

Although several studies have been conducted on unification and the life of North Korean refugees, there have been few studies comparing the characteristics of North Korean refugees with South Korean workers, in terms of human resources in business administration. By considering the limitations of these prior studies, this study analyzed whether there are differences in factors affecting organizational commitment and turnover intention through a group comparative analysis between North Korean refugees and South Korean workers. For a comparative analysis between the two groups, we recruited 145 workers from North Korea and 213 South Korea-born workers. We found the following results with a multi-group structural equation model. We confirmed the measurement homogeneity by ensuring that both groups were equally aware of the measurement tools affecting organizational commitment and turnover intentions. As a result of testing the homogeneity of measurement, we also confirmed that there was a significant difference in optimism between the two groups; optimism affects organizational commitment and among social supports, affectionate support and interaction support affect organizational commitment. Analyzing the path between the two groups, we first were able to find that optimism influenced organizational commitment for both groups, in relation to positive psychological capital. However, in terms of degree, South Korean workers were found to be strongly affected. Second, with regard to social support, we were not able to find that affectionate support and interaction support have a significant impact on organizational commitment for South Korean workers, while for North Korean refugees, we confirmed that both supports have a significant impact. Third, we were unable to find any differences between the two group, in terms of other sub-components of positive psychological capital (self-efficacy, hope, and resiliency) or the sub-components of social support (informational support, tangible support). These results suggest that companies or managers employing North Korean refugee workers need to create an organizational environment that allows them to perceive social support, especially affectionate support and interaction support.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.48-67
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• 2006

The aim of the study was to examine levels of satisfaction with health care in North Korea and to identify factors associated with it using a convenience sample of North Korean refugees in China. Data from the 2004 Survey of Health Seeking Behavior of North Korean Households conducted by the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health were used. The study subjects were 273 North Korean refugees whose length of stay in China was less than 3 months. Factor analysis was used to extract factor dimensions from the 12 satisfaction items. Bivariate (t test and ANOVA) and multiple regression analyses were used in examining factors associated with satisfaction with health care use in North Korea Overall, satisfaction level was low ($2.36{\pm}0.36$, score range: 1-5). Of the three-factor dimensions, physician skills scored the highest $(2.93{\pm}0.36)$, followed by drug availability $(2.51{\pm}0.07)$ and general cleanliness $(1.66{\pm}0.55)$. In the multiple regression analysis, having a usual source of care was significantly associated with patient satisfaction. Respondents who identified primary care (section) doctors as their usual source of care tended to be less satisfied than those with the city or county hospital as their usual source of care. County residents tended to report a lower degree of satisfaction with general cleanliness than city residents. Among socioeconomic characteristics, the number of household assets positively predicted satisfaction with drug availability. North Korean residents appear to be dissatisfied with their medical care. It may reflect some inadequacies in the North's universal health care system to meet the healthcare needs of its people.

• Journal of Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.73-86
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• 2020

This study examines the North Korean defectors' economic and psychological adjustment status in South Korean society focusing on the specificity of North Korean defectors with the social integration perspective. We conducted a questionnaire survey of 225 North Korean defectors in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do and conducted analysis using the SPSS 22.0 program. The results of the study are as follows. First, the economic adaptation of North Korean defectors was evaluated to be generally low. Second, North Korean refugees' psychological and social adjustment status is generally lower than average, especially cultural adaptation stress, friendship, and satisfaction with physical and mental health. Third, the psychological and cultural adaptation strategy and social support of defectors affected the life satisfaction positively and the adaptation stress had significant negative impact on life satisfaction. Therefore, strategies which reducing adaptive stress and enhancing psychological and cultural adaptation strategies are needed to be implemented in South Korean society. Based on results, policy alternatives were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.820-833
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• 2009

Multiculturalism in education are different from each countries, It is needed to practice multicultural education in many fields facing changes to multicultural society in Korea. This study demonstrates on the relationship of social friendliness and stereotypical attitudes toward Saeteomins (North Korean refugees) to the knowledge of North Korea. Saeteomins are special in the respect of linguistic and ethnic homogeneity of Korea. They have to adapt themselves to new circumstances like other immigrants from abroad. At the same time they have cultural senses of difference to live in a divided country in spite of ethnic homogeneity. It is important to get openminded attitudes to be receptive to cultural diversity in the respect of getting multicultural sensitivity. On account of a growing migration of Saeteomins family, Saeteomin students have difficulties in adapting to Korean society. This study focuses on the point of middle school (general) students' view to Saeteomin students, who have experiences to meet each other. There are three categories of contents knowledge, common sense of North Korea and social issues related to North Korea in this paper. All of them are significant to social friendliness and stereotypical attitudes toward Saeteomins to the knowledge of North Korea. That is important point to contents construction in curriculum about North Korea. This study is meaningful to find the potential to link contents knowledge of subject to multicultural education practice in the process of curriculum change especially in relation to the knowledge of North Korea in 2007.

• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.60
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• pp.133-173
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• 2018

This paper analyzes the consistency and the discrepancy between system and practices of the old age pension(Nyunronyungeum) in North Korea. The literature review is conducted to analyze the system. Specifically, the North Korean law and North Korean dictionaries were carefully examined. The interviews with 25 North Korean refugees were conducted to grasp the exact state of the old age pension in North Korea. Major findings are as follows: the consistency between system and practices of the old age pension in North Korea is identified only certain portions of that. Beneficiaries(blue-collar workers, white-collar workers, farmers, soldiers, and employees in foreign-invested enterprises), contribution periods, earning-related schemes, the totalization of periods of coverage(workplace transitions), the absence of double benefits and early retirement pension, and the delivery system around Civic Service offices(Dong offices) are confirmed by complete consistency. Preservation age, variations in the implementation of the pension system by region, and premium of the old age pension are confirmed by partial consistency. The length of service, the labor regulation, lump-sum payment, and double dipping are confirmed by discrepancies. It's important that this study brings about a better understanding the old age pension in North Korea through various original texts of North Korea and interviews with refugees. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the policy production for the age income security system after the unification and to the spread of unification perspectives.