Posttraumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Growth in Three Generations of Czech and Slovak Holocaust Survivors

Abstract

The psychological consequences of trauma related to the Holocaust have been primarily studied in samples derived from Israel, North America, and Western Europe. Few studies have examined postcommunist countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The present study focused on three generations living in the Czech Republic and Slovakia after World War II (WWII): Holocaust survivors (71-95 years of age), their children (30-73 years of age), and their grandchildren (15-48 years of age). We compared scores on measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS; the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version) and posttraumatic growth (PTG; the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory) derived from three focal samples with scores from age-matched comparison participants. Higher PTSS scores emerged for Holocaust survivors in all generations, η 2 P=.087 but only participants in the first generation reported higher PTG scores relative to the comparison group, with small effect sizes for the overall group differences, η 2 P=.029 . These results are discussed in the historical and political context of postwar Czechoslovakia.

Neurobiological and psychological impact of acute war stress on Ukrainian refugees

“…We previously researched Holocaust survivors and their descendants 70 to 75 years after the extreme stress of war 4,5,6,7,8 ; we were able to show a neurobiological impact on the brain structures in survivors and connectivity differences compared with control groups in the second and third generations. Differences in psychological features were present in all three generations 5,6 . In this study focused on acute and ongoing war-related stress, we questioned whether acute war stress impaired the brain in healthy persons and whether there is a difference between acute war stress and extreme stress that occurred many years ago.…”

“…The psychological and neurobiological impact of acute and ongoing war stress was the target of this study. We previously researched Holocaust survivors and their descendants 70 to 75 years after the extreme stress of war 4,5,6,7,8 ; we were able to show a neurobiological impact on the brain structures in survivors and connectivity differences compared with control groups in the second and third generations. Differences in psychological features were present in all three generations 5,6 .…”

“…We focused on the neurobiological and psychological impact of war-related stress in Ukrainian women. The study is based on our previous research on the lifelong impact of extreme stress in Holocaust survivors 4,5,6,7,8 . We observed that the Holocaust survivors, 70 to 75 years after the war, experienced a significantly higher frequency of depression symptoms and posttraumatic stress symptoms, and lower levels of well-being as compared to a control group.…”

“…The interview and psychological testing were performed by two Ukrainian psychologists who were also war refugees, albeit integrated into Czech society or Masaryk University, and coordinated with an experienced Czech psychologist who had participated in our previous studies and published papers based on our study on the impact of the Holocaust on survivors and two generations of descendants 5,6 . 9 (PCL-C).…”

Představení projektu Vyhnání, vykořenění a změna životní linie – mezigenerační studie

“…Pro studium historického traumatu jsme vybrali českou historickou událost z období komunismu (akci Asanace), která měla výrazné spojující prvky -týkala se specifické skupiny lidí, byl použitý podobný donucovací mechanismus, historická zkušenost těchto lidí vykazovala shodné zkušenosti, jako jsou rychlé přemístění do jiné země, vykořeněnost, nutnost začínat od začátku nebo téměř od začátku v nových podmínkách, nezbytnost prokázat vysokou adaptabilitu. K projektu jsme se rozhodli po předchozích zkušenostech s transgenerační transmisí v souvislosti s holocaustem (Preiss & Vizinová, 2019, Preiss et al, 2021 (Blažek & Schovánek, 2018). Postupně vznikala promyšlená operace s řadou protiprávních kroků (především čl.…”