Posttraumatic Symptoms and Thought Control Strategies Among Aging Hidden Jewish Children

Abstract

This study examined the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and the coping strategies of 51 aging hidden children (28 women and 23 men) 65 years after the Holocaust. Results indicated a positive relation between age and PTSD symptoms that was fully mediated by sense of danger and education. Regression analyses showed that lower educational level (β = −.32) and more reappraisals (β = .38) were associated with severity of PTSD symptoms. Reappraisal also predicted intrusions (β = .36) and arousal (β = .37).

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Grant 1.1.233.09 to the second author and Grant 1.5.175.06 to the third author from the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research. Also, the authors greatly acknowledge the support of Susann Heenen-Wolff, who initiated the project. Finally, the authors would like to extend their thanks to all of the participants for their openness and trust.

Notes

Note. Parental loss: 0 = found both parents, 1 = lost one parent, 2 = orphan. Educational level: 1 = primary school, 2 = grades 7–9 of secondary school, 3 = grades 10–12 of secondary school, 4 = university.

^a Pearson correlation.

^b Spearman correlation.

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

Note. Gender: 1 = women, 2 = men. Educational level: 1 = primary school, 2 = grades 7–9 of secondary school, 3 = grades 10–12 of secondary school, 4 = university.

**p < .01. ***p < .001.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adeline Fohn

Adeline Fohn is a clinical psychologist and obtained her PhD from the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium. She specializes in trauma, traumatic memory, and in the history of hidden Jewish children. She conducts mixed studies analyzing qualitative and quantitative data.

Delphine Grynberg

Delphine Grynberg is a PhD student at the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium. She specializes in empathy and individual differences in terms of emotional competences.

Olivier Luminet

Olivier Luminet is a professor of psychology at the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium. His research interests include the moderation of personality factors in the link between emotional reactions and memory processes and the interplay between individual and collective factors explaining the formation of flashbulb memories.