The Relationship Between Female Holocaust Child Survivors' Unresolved Losses and Their Offspring's Emotional Well-Being

Abstract

The relationship between Holocaust child survivors' (n = 178) intrusive memories and their eldest offspring's (n = 178) well-being was examined. Results showed that survivors' intrusive memories were related to the loss of parents in the Holocaust and their symptoms of distress. The latter was related to offspring's perceived transmission of trauma of the mothers, which was associated with more symptoms of distress among offspring. These findings suggest that due to female survivors' uncompleted mourning processes and their subsequent suffering of intrusive memories, the emotional burden of the Holocaust was transmitted to the eldest offspring and caused them more symptoms of distress.

KEYWORDS:

• Holocaust survivors
• loss
• offspring
• well-being

Acknowledgments

This research was partially supported by a grant from Elah, the Center for Psycho-Social Support, and by grants from the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute of Gerontology and Human Development and Eshel, the Association for the Planning and Development of Services for the Aged in Israel.

Notes

^a Statistically significant difference between mothers and fathers (p < .001).

^b Lower = more affection.

*p < .05; **p < .01.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sonia E. Letzter-Pouw

Sonia E. Letzter-Pouw is a social worker at the Elah Center and in private practice, as well as a lecturer in the Department of Gerontology at the University of Haifa. She has published papers in the area of long-term psychological consequences among Holocaust survivors and their families.

Perla Werner

Perla Werner is a full professor and head of the Center for the Study and Research of Aging at the University of Haifa. She has published more than 190 papers in the area of mental health and the elderly and has received numerous competitive grants in the area.