Purpose: This review aimed to explore the parenting behavior of North Korean defectors and the associated factors. Methods: A scoping review of quantitative and intervention studies was conducted. We ran a search on the PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, KMbase, RISS, and DBpia.
Results: Of the 220 articles screened, 11 were included in this study. These included six studies on North Korean mothers, three studies on both South Korean and North Korean mothers, one on North Korean fathers, and one on North Korean parents. Seven studies were conducted in the community, three studies in Hanawon, and one study included samples from both the community and Hanawon. Several parental characteristics and the family social environment based on the parental model were identified, including factors related to escaping from North Korea, psychological aspects, parenting-related factors, and social support. Regarding the children’s characteristics, only the age of the children was provided, and other factors suggested by the parenting model were not fully investigated. Conclusions: Despite various variables related to parenting, the mental health of parents may directly or indirectly affect the parenting behavior of North Korean defectors. These characteristics should also be considered when providing support to North Korean defectors with children.