Effects of Narrative Exposure Therapy on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Insomnia in Traumatized North Korean Refugee Youth

Abstract

Refugees affected by multiple traumatic stressors are at high risk for developing trauma‐related mental disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and insomnia, which is sometimes overlooked. The present study examined the effectiveness of narrative exposure therapy (NET) on trauma‐related symptoms in a sample of North Korean refugee youth. We focused on sleep patterns in addition to changes in symptom severity for PTSD, depression, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. North Korean refugee youth (N = 20) with PTSD were assigned to either an NET‐based treatment group or a control group, which consisted of treatment as usual (TAU). There were clinically significant reductions in PTSD, depression, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms for the NET group, Hedges’ g = 3.6, but not the TAU group. The change in diagnostic status for PTSD was more notable for participants in the NET group compared to the TAU group. Of note, NET also produced a significant improvement in insomnia symptoms and sleep quality, Hedges’ g = 2.1. The substantial recovery regarding overall posttraumatic symptoms in the NET group was observed 2 weeks after the end of treatment and remained stable at 6‐month follow‐up. The results of the present study suggest that NET may be a treatment option for traumatized North Korean refugee youth and may also be effective for the treatment of sleep problems that arise from traumatic experiences.

The effects of narrative exposure therapy on COVID-19 patients with post-traumatic stress symptoms: A randomized controlled trial

“…In our study, the difference in improvement in depression, anxiety and sleep quality between the two groups was not statistically significant, which was inconsistent with some previous studies. ( Alghamdi et al., 2015 ; Park et al., 2020 ). This discrepancy might be related to differences in age characteristics of the participants.…”

Trauma History and Mental Health of North Korean Defectors

“…Narrative exposure therapy (NET) has been suggested as a treatment option for traumatized young NKDs, and may also be effective for the treatment of sleep problems caused by traumatic experiences [56]. The study found clinically significant reductions in PTSD, depression, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in the NET group, but not in the treatment-as-usual group.…”

Systematic review and meta-analyses of the long-term efficacy of narrative exposure therapy for adults, children and perpetrators

“…As shown in Supplementary Table 4, nine studies evaluating KIDNET have been conducted to date. These included five control group designs including four (Gil, 2015;Peltonen & Kangaslampi, 2019) conducted a post assessment directly after the intervention, three studies (Gil, 2015;Onyut et al, 2005;Park et al, 2020) reported a follow-up assessment between 0.5 and 3 months after the intervention, and six studies (Al-Hadethe et al, 2015;Catani et al, 2009;Hermenau et al, 2011;Onyut et al, 2005;Park et al, 2020;Ruf et al, 2010) conducted follow-up assessments 6-12 months after the intervention. The two within group post-intervention effect sizes were Hedges' g = 0.7.…”