title: Korean Survivors of the Japanese "Comfort Women" System: Understanding the Lifelong Consequences of Early Life Trauma.
abstract: Prior to and during World War II, thousands of girls and young women were abducted from Korea and forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese government. Termed comfort women, these girls and young women suffered extreme sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and trauma. Research on this group is not well-developed and people know little of the impact of this early life trauma on the lives of these women who are now in later life. Using snowball sampling, 16 older adult survivors of the comfort women system participated in semistructured qualitative interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted to gain an understanding of the trauma that these women suffered and how it impacted their lives. Results revealed the depths of the abuse these women suffered, including repeated rapes, physical beatings, humiliation, forced surgery and sterilization, and social exclusion. These early traumatic experiences appeared to reverberate throughout their lives in their family relations, their inability to marry and to conceive children, and their emotional and physical well-being throughout the life course and into later life. The experiences of these survivors illustrate the lasting impact of early-life trauma and can guide interventions with current survivors of sexual abuse or trafficking.
authors.affiliation: a College of Social Work , The Ohio State University , 1947 College Road, Columbus , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Jee Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: a College of Social Work , The Ohio State University , 1947 College Road, Columbus , OH , USA.
authors.forename: KyongWeon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: a College of Social Work , The Ohio State University , 1947 College Road, Columbus , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Michelle D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Hand
authors.affiliation: b School of Social Work , University of Montana , Jeannette Rankin Hall 014, Missoula , MT , USA.
authors.forename: Keith A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: c School of Social Work , University of Montana , Jeannette Rankin Hall 014, Missoula , MT , USA.
authors.forename: Tess E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Schleitwiler
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008016:Life Change Events / Q000266:history; D000067073:Psychological Trauma / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D011477:Sex Work / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000266:history; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D047789:World War II
keywords: Comfort women; life course perspective; sexual abuse; trafficking; trauma