Associations between defense mechanisms and life satisfaction among North Korean refugees

BACKGROUND: The present study investigated associations between defense mechanisms and life satisfaction among North Korean refugees living in South Korea. METHODS: A total of 178 North Korean refugees completed the Korean version of the Defense Style Questionnaire, a revised version of the Ways of Thinking of North Korean Defectors scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, and the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. Multiple stepwise regression analysis was performed to investigate the defense mechanisms associated with North Korean refugees’ life satisfaction in South Korea. RESULTS: Among defense mechanisms, denial most strongly predicted higher overall and economic satisfaction among North Korean refugees living in South Korea (β = 0.145, p < 0.01; β = 0.137, p = 0.03, respectively) after controlling for age, gender, anxiety, depression, and number of traumatic events experienced. Furthermore, resignation predicted lower overall (β = −0.206, p < 0.001) and economic satisfaction (β = −0.134, p = 0.02). However, the association between resignation and life satisfaction was not significant after controlling for depression, anxiety, and number of traumatic events experienced. CONCLUSIONS: Specific defense mechanisms such as high denial and low resignation were associated with life satisfaction in South Korea among North Korean refugees. Our findings suggest that refugees’ psychological defense mechanisms may affect their satisfactory resettlement.