ArticleNature and science of sleep2021
Polysomnographic Sleep and Attentional Deficits in Traumatized North Korean Refugees.
Article in Nature and science of sleep, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Insomnia and poor sleep quality in refugee and asylum-seeking populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Trial
- Sleep impairments in refugees diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder: a polysomnographic and self-report study.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2023Trial
- Properties of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in North Korean Defectors: A Scoping Review.Psychiatry investigation · 2023Article
- Improving Sleep Health Among Refugees: A Systematic Review.Neurology. Clinical practice · 2023Review
- Gray Matter Volume of Thalamic Nuclei in Traumatized North Korean Refugees.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAttentional deficits and sleep problems are common in refugees who have experienced trauma. In the present study, we used polysomnography (PSG) to investigate the relationship between attentional deficits and objective measures of sleep structure in traumatized North Korean refugees.
methodsWe recruited 32 North Korean refugees (mean age = 33.78 ± 14.33 years) and 39 South Korean participants (mean age = 35.03 ± 11.08 years). Sustained attention and divided attention were assessed using the Computerized Attention Test. We conducted an overnight PSG to objectively assess sleep structure. The participants also completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).
resultsThe North Korean refugees showed more commission errors (CEs, p < 0.05) and a larger standard deviation (SD) of the reaction time (RT) (p < 0.05) in the sustained attention task compared to the South Korean participants. Furthermore, the North Korean refugees showed a shorter period of wake after sleep onset (WASO, p < 0.01), less time spent in N1 (p < 0.05), and more time spent in N2 (p < 0.05). The larger SD of RT in the sustained attention task in the North Korean refugees was positively correlated with WASO (r = 0.62, p < 0.01) and N1 stage (r = 0.47, p < 0.05) after controlling for age, sex, BDI, BAI, and IES-R.
conclusionThe North Korean refugees showed poorer performance on the sustained attention task. Nocturnal PSG revealed shorter WASO and time spent in N1 in this population, which are independently associated with the preservation of attentional capacity. These data suggest that traumatized refugees may compensate for attentional deficits induced by their traumatic experiences via increased sleep continuity.
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