Secondary traumatization among ex-POWs' adult children: the mediating role of differentiation of the self

Psychological Trauma : Theory, Research, Practice and Policy
Gadi Zerach

Abstract

The aversive impact of combat and parents' combat-induced posttraumatic stress disorder on young children has been examined in a few studies. However, the long-term toll of war captivity on secondary traumatization (ST) and the mediating role of differentiation of the self remain unknown. This study examined ST symptoms and differentiation of the self (DS) among adult children of former prisoners of war (ex-POW's children) who were compared with adult children of comparable veterans (controls' children). Furthermore, I examined the mediating role of DS dimensions in the association between exposure to stress and ST symptoms. Participants were Israeli ex-POW's children (n = 98) and controls' children (n = 90), whose fathers fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Results showed that ex-POW's children reported a higher number of ST symptoms and lower levels of emotional cutoff differentiation compared with controls' children. Emotional cutoff was also found to mediate the association between research group and ST symptoms. Among ex-POW's children, emotional cutoff and emotional reactivity dimensions mediated the association between exposure to stress stemming from fathers' behaviors and ST symptoms. Forty years after the war ended, th...Continue Reading

Citations

Sep 25, 2016·Journal of Psychosomatic Research·Yael LahavZahava Solomon
Nov 7, 2019·European Journal of Psychotraumatology·Niveen Rizkalla, Steven P Segal
Mar 30, 2019·Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy·Yael LahavZahava Solomon
Jun 9, 2020·Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health : CP & EMH·Giacomo GualtieriAnna Coluccia
Aug 16, 2019·Annals of General Psychiatry·Ivone Castro-ValeRui Mota-Cardoso

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.

Related Papers

Journal of Family Psychology : JFP : Journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)
Gadi ZerachZahava Solomon
Journal of Family Psychology : JFP : Journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)
Talya GreeneZahava Solomon
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved